Guntur farmers betting big on commercial crops this rabi

Farmers of Guntur district must be diehard optimists. Rains deserted them this month, just like last month.

The government declared that it would not be in a position to release waters from the Nagarjuna Sagar for rabi (second) crop; the market is flooded with fake seeds, fake fertilizers and fake pesticides; there is no guarantee of remunerative prices, and yet these have not deterred them from going in for commercial crops as well as paddy during the rabi season, though on a reduced hectareage.

As against growing crops in 1,06,398 hectares in 2003-04, the farmers are growing crops in only 61,373 hectares this rabi season (2004-05).

More surprising is that they have sown paddy in 24,116 hectares as against the normal rabi crop area of 16,184 hectares.

Speaking to Business Standard, N V Siva Rao, Guntur district in-charge joint director of agriculture, said that the crop area of pulses had come down.

"A disappointing feature of rabi sowing is that crop areas of all pulses, vegetables and fruits have crashed. Farmers are raising black gram crop in 17,694 hectares only (normal crop area 1,39,515 hectares and 30,318 hectares in 2003-04), red gram in 707 hectares (normal crop area 987 hectares, 1,569 hectares in 2003-04), green gram in 828 hectares (normal crop area 9,194 hectares, 1,220 hectares in 2003-04), and bengal gram in 2,696 hectares (normal crop area 6,423 hectares, 12,096 hectares in 2003-04). Fruit and vegetable gardens are being raised in 5,095 hectares (normal crop area 47,744 hectares, 25,113 hectares in 2003-04)," Rao said.

Rao said that the farmers would get Rs 560 per quintal of common paddy and Rs 590 per quintal of grade 'A' paddy as minimum support prices (MSP).

"The minimum support prices fixed for other crops are as follows: Rs 515 per quintal for jowar, Rs 515 per quintal for bajra, Rs 525 per quintal for maize, Rs 1,390 per quintal for red gram, Rs 1,410 per quintal for green gram, Rs 1,410 per quintal for black gram, Rs 1,500 per quintal for groundnut, Rs 1,500 per quintal for sesamum, and Rs 1,000 per quintal for soyabean," he added.

Jowar is being cultivated in 1,161 hectares (normal crop area 6,602 hectares, 16,803 hectares in 2003-04), maize in 3,400 hectares (normal crop area 8,408 hectares, 6,882 hectares in 2003-04), groundnut in 1,249 hectares (normal crop area in 4,900 hectares, 5,260 hectares in 2003-04), and sesamum in 10 hectares (normal crop area 658 hectares, 129 hectares in 2003-04, he pointed out.

Other crops include castor being raised in 23 hectares (normal crop area 53 hectares, 106 hectares in 2003-04), sunflower in 13 hectares (normal crop area in 77 hectares, 203 hectares in 2003-04), chillies in 505 hectares (normal crop area 465 hectares, 470 hectares in 2003-04) and tobacco in 3,876 hectares (normal crop area 3,602 hectares, 3,776 hectares in 2003-04).

Siva Rao said, "Despite heavy odds, the farmers are reaping commendable harvests of various kharif (first) crops raised in 5,55,847 hectares (normal crop area 5,66,557 hectare)."

The farmers, this time, are expected to reap altogether a harvest of 11.76 lakh tonnes of paddy in a crop area of 2,08,724 hectares, 0.01 lakh tonnes of jowar in 1,766 hectares, 0.027 lakh tonnes of bajra in 5,438 hectares, 0.077 lakh tonnes of maize in 2,472 hectares, 0.299 lakh tonnes of red gram in 35,715 hectares, 0.055 lakh tonnes of green gram in 11,018 hectares, 0.007 lakh tonnes of black gram in 1,310 hectares, 0.002 lakh tonnes of groundnut in 170 hectares, 0.06 lakh tonnes of sesamum in 12,144 hectares, 0.009 lakh tonnes of soyabean in 1,117 hectares, 0.052 lakh tonnes of castor in 5,394 hectares, 0.003 lakh tonnes of sunflower in 280 hectares, 1.57 lakh tonnes of chillies in 50,676 hectares, and 7.33 lakh bales of cotton in 1,78,525 hectares.

Fruits and vegetables have been raised in 34,579 hectares and turmeric has been grown in 4,310 hectares, crop estimations for which are not available.