Late July Rains See Surge in Paddy Planting, Officials Worried
“If the IMD predictions hold, then we will have a long dry spell from middle of August and into September. The question is what will happen if there are no more rains,” a senior government official said.
Hyderabad:The recent widespread rain not only brought some cheer to the farming community but also dread to the agriculture department that is watching a surge in paddy planting.
Till the rain of late July cut down the 30 per cent deficit, the government expected that overall paddy cultivation would fall by around 32 lakh acres against the normal of around 69 lakh acres. Official estimated the projected area under paddy for this season as 38.51 lakh acres as of mid-July.
Estimates now place the expected paddy area to be around 54 lakh acres, with farmers who grew paddy previously expected to leave only 15 lakh acres without this crop this season.
“If the IMD predictions hold, then we will have a long dry spell from middle of August and into September. The question is what will happen if there are no more rains,” a senior government official said.
Despite a determined effort by the agriculture department to push farmers away from paddy, “there are no takers for it right now,” the official said. “The momentum for raising alternative irrigated dry crops was washed away by the July rain.”
Incidentally, the expert committee on El Nino impacts mitigation had called on the government to issue an administrative directive declaring a ‘no additional paddy’ mandate prohibiting new paddy nursery transplantation under borewells and rainfed regions in 399 water-stressed mandals for the Vanakalam 2026 season.
It may be recalled that the expert committee, led by Planning Board vice-chairman G. Chinna Reddy, submitted its report to the Chief Minister, who chairs the board, on July 30.
Sources said that if the IMD predictions of a dry rest of August, and as well as September hold, then the only option is to look towards the Bay of Bengal and hope for another depression, as the one in July, to form and bring more rains to Telangana.
“If that does not happen, then paddy farmers could be in serious trouble,” the sources added.
Copious July rain may haunt paddy farmers
Area under paddy till July 15: 32 lakh acres
Estimates after July rain: 54 lakh acres
IMD predicts a dry August, September
How farmers planted paddy during Kharif
Year – Area*
2023 – 65,94,252
2024 – 66,78,320.65
2025 – 69,89,228.10
*in acres
