Water Aplenty in AP Except Rayalaseema

Anantapur: People of Rayalaseema are finding it peculiar that while their region is still rain deficit, awaiting to take up sowings for the Kharif season, major projects in the Krishna basin are receiving heavy floods, with many reservoirs about to reach their full storage.

Agriculture scientist Narayana Swamy underlined that during the current season, not even 20 per cent of groundnut has been sown in combined Anantapur district, which is a top grower of groundnut in the country.

Normally, more than 8 lakh hectares of groundnut is sown in the area. However, just about 20 per cent of lands have been sown with groundnut due to deficit rainfall.

Though farmers can sow groundnut till August first week, agriculture scientists of Rekulakunta research station say sowings during July provide better yields to farmers.

After the first week of August, however, it is better that farmers cultivate alternative crops rather than groundnut, officials of Rekulakunta station have advised.

A groundnut crop can sustain itself with minimum rainfall, but it should be timely for sowing to ensure growth. That is why farmers of drought-hit areas prefer to cultivate groundnut with red gram as an intercrop.

A farmer Manjunath from Guddampalli in Madakasira mandal said due to deficit rainfall, he is planning to plant other seasonal crops instead of groundnut this year. He pointed out that he has been leaving 10 acres of land unsown for the past few years to avoid losses.