Guntur ryots prefer maize this rabi

Even as kharif (first crop) harvesting is in full swing, farmers of Guntur district have completed rabi (second crop) sowing in 1,99,010 hectare as against the normal crop area of 2,29,025 hectare.

The farmers have improved rabi crop area a lot, compared with last year (2004-05) when they raised crops in 1,05,535 hectare only. Paddy transplantations are going on at a slow pace and farmers are expected to complete them by February.

The trend shows that farmers are fast weaning away from paddy in rabi. Only 3,312 hectare have so far seen paddy tranplantations as against the normal 21,217 hectare and against last year's rabi paddy hectarage of 4,494.

P Ajit Kumar, joint director, Agriculture, told Business Standard that farmers had in a big way gone for maize cultivation. They had sown maize in 24,445 hectare as against the normal hectarage of 17,824 and against last year hectarage of 15,241. Blackgram crop area touched 1,10,250 hectare as against last year's hectarage of 64,102.

Redgram had also been sown in 2,029 hectare, which is over and above the normal crop area of 800 hectare and last year's hectarage of 464. However, greengram normal crop area of 9,020 hectare had fallen to 2,029 though the crop area had improved from last year's 810 hectare. Bengalgram rabi crop area (8,492 hectare) crossed the normal crop area (7,973 hectare) and last year's crop area (3,471 hectare).

But, he said, jowar rabi crop area crashed to 82 hectare as against the normal crop area of 7,064 hectare and as against last year's crop area of 2,624 hectare. Groundnut had been sown in 4,011 hectare as against last year's 2,753 hectare. Oil seeds such as caster, soyabean, rape, and mustard were sown in 800 hectare as against last year's 15 hectare.

Farmers were growing rabi chillies in 1,878 hectare, cotton in 433 hectare, tobacco in 1,818 hectare and onions in 932 hectare and other crops in 39,015 hectare.

He said final estimation showed that heavy rains damaged kharif (first crop) paddy in 1,07,973 hectare of the transplanted 2,88,638 hectare. The third and fourth picking of cotton is in progress. Rains also affected cotton crop in 24,612 hectare and chillies in 8,140 hectare.

He said the district received 401.3 mm rainfall under southwest monsoon in June, July, August, and September and 376.6 mm rainfall under northeast monsoon in October and November.