Krishna farmers reap double crop

Despite deficit rainfall and reduced acreage, farmers of Krishna district have doubled the paddy production and reaped increased harvests of cotton, groundnut and redgram during the kharif season this fiscal.

According to the final reports of 2004-05 kharif harvesting received by the department of agriculture from paddy growing areas in the district, the farmers beat the kharif harvest records of 2002-03 and 2003-04.

The district, from June till December, received 710.8 mm rainfall (225.2 mm deficit rainfall), with four dry spells, two in August and two in December, as against the normal rainfall of 936 mm and against last year's rainfall of 939 mm.

"Against this negative backdrop, farmers have scored more than satisfactory harvests," V Vidyasagar Rao, joint director, agriculture, told Business Standard.

"Farmers have threshed an average yield of 25-35 bags (each bag contains 75 kg) of paddy per acre and achieved a record 13.726 lakh tonnes against the normal harvest of 7.95 lakh tonnes in 2,45,308 hectares, with the district average standing at 5,399 tonnes. The kharif paddy production was 7.28 lakh tonnes in 2003-04 and 7.14 lakh tonnes in 2002-03," he said.

Red gram, planted in 9,614 hectares (8,968 hectares normal crop area), yielded 0.056 lakh tonnes (normal crop 0.05 lakh tonnes) with the district average at 597 tonnes.

"Green gram, raised in 13,165 hectares (20,968 hectares normal crop area), gave a crop of 0.077 lakh tonnes (normal crop 0.13 lakh tonnes). While cotton, raised in 47,850 hectares (32,609 hectares normal crop area), gave 0.776 lakh tonnes (normal crop 0.65 lakh tonnes), the district average stood at 1,552 tonnes." he said.

Sugarcane, grown in 17,789 hectares (14,329 hectares normal crop area), touched 17,789 lakh tonnes yield, while chillies, raised in 9,273 hectares is likely to touch 0.396 lakh tonnes.