HYDERABAD: The state government seems to have failed in achieving the target for sowing of most crops in the ongoing kharif season except paddy, soybean and maize, according to data available with the agriculture department. Only two weeks are left for the season to end, on September 30.
The data obtained from all districts as of Tuesday showed that the area under paddy exceeded the target at 124 per cent, while jowar, red gram, groundnut and mustard crops were not sown on even half the stipulated target area for kharif.
The government is setting targets for cultivation of different crops every year to discourage the trend of the majority of farmers opting for paddy. Crop diversification has assumed even more significance from this year with the Food Corporation of India (FCI) refusing to purchase boiled rice from Telangana for PDS (public distribution system) from this year.
Nearly 90 per cent of the paddy produced in Telangana pertains to boiled rice. The state produced 62 lakh metric tonnes of boiled rice in the recent rabi season of which the FCI agreed to purchase only 25 lakh metric tonnes, leaving a big question mark over the fate of remaining 37 lakh tonnes lying in rice mills and godowns. To overcome these problems, the state government stipulates targets for each crop to ensure balanced agriculture production.
For the ongoing kharif (June-September), the government stipulated crop sown area target of 41.85 lakh acres for paddy, which was brought down from 50.91 lakh acres of last kharif. But, as of Tuesday, paddy was sown in 52.09 lakh acres overshooting the target at 124 per cent.
This is also more when compared with 50.91 lakh acres sown on the same day last year. Although the government reduced paddy targets, the crop sown area went up last year. In contrast, the target for this kharif was 1.07 lakh acres but was sown in just 57,613 acres so far. Similarly, red dram target was 20 lakh acres but was sown in only 9.02 lakh acres.
The targets for groundnut and mustard were 39,000 and 23,650 acres of which only 18,762 acres and 8,920 acres were achieved. The government promoted cotton in place of paddy this kharif by fixing a target of 70 lakh acres against 59 acres last year. But only 50.95 lakh acres have been achieved so far.
