Adilabad Farmers Cultivate Jowar as Second Crop, Face Storage crunch

ADILABAD: Farmers in Adilabad district are increasingly cultivating jowar and maize as second crops after cotton or soya, with officials attributing the shift to assured minimum support price (MSP) and lower input requirements.

The state government is offering an MSP of Rs 3,699 for jowar and Rs 2,400 for maize. Officials said jowar cultivation has emerged as more profitable due to higher returns and relatively low water usage compared to other commercial crops.

According to district agriculture officer Sridhar Swamy, jowar was cultivated in 1,12,983 acres and maize in 18,041 acres during the rabi 2025-26 season. In the corresponding period of 2024-25, maize was grown in 1,14,142 acres and 11,704 acres respectively in the district.

Swamy said the average yield stands at about 14 quintals per acre for jowar and 25 quintals per acre for maize, with the potential to increase to 20 quintals and 35 quintals per acre respectively. He said farmers were earning profits of Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000 per acre from jowar with relatively low investment and water usage.

However, higher-than-expected yields this season have created storage constraints in villages. Unseasonal rains have added to the difficulties, prompting several farmers to move produce to market yards soon after harvest due to lack of storage space.

Farmer Madhukar from Ankoli said only a few farmers have sheds to store jowar and suggested using Rythu Vedikas, which remain unused, to stock produce of small and marginal farmers.

Tenant farmers are also facing storage shortages and are showing interest in cultivating jowar as a second crop to secure assured returns.