Sowing operations are expected to pick up in Andhra Pradesh with 12.9 mm of rain yesterday, that continued till this morning.
For most of the current season, the state witnessed subdued rainfall, with a 39 per cent of deficit in June. The monsoon revived only in the second week of July with 78.4 mm of rain, compared to the normal level of 69.7 mm for the period.
With this, the total rainfall recorded in the state stands at 144.5mm, 19 per cent below the normal level of 178.1mm. For the week ending July 6, total rainfall was 17 per cent below the normal.
Officially, up to 19 per cent of variation from the long-period average is considered ‘normal’. It is only Krishna district that received excess rain, while 12 were in the normal range and the other nine fell under the deficit category (i.e, 20 to 59 per cent below long-period average).
“With this week’s rain, kharif sowing of rain-fed crops will pick up and maximum area will be covered in an another week,” said Chandra Prakash, joint director, commissionerate of agriculture. Earlier, the sowing of crops such as jowar, maize, pulses, sesamum, sunflower and cotton was reported to have been ‘paralysed’ due to insufficient rain.
With Wednesday’s rain adding to last week’s, sowing is expected to pick up in Telangana as well, he said, adding the operations would go on till the end of August. He mentioned it will be too early to talk about a possible drought-like situation.
Raising of paddy nurseries is in progress in the districts that come under borewells and canals. Prakash said it would pick up pace with the ongoing rain. Transplantation takes place in the first week of July and continues till the end of August.