Rs 500 bonus boosts cultivation of fine rice in Nalgonda
While farmers typically opt for coarse rice varieties due to favourable weather conditions and resistance to crop diseases, many are now shifting to fine rice varieties, incentivised by the bonus

Nalgonda: The cultivation of fine rice varieties in the erstwhile Nalgonda district has surged to over 40 per cent of the total paddy cultivation area, compared to 25 per cent previously. This increase is attributed to the Rs 500 per quintal bonus announced by the state government for fine rice varieties.
Out of the total normal cultivation area of 10,16,637 acres in the district, the agriculture department anticipates farmers will cultivate crops on 8.4 lakh acres during the Rabi season. While farmers typically opt for coarse rice varieties due to favourable weather conditions and resistance to crop diseases, many are now shifting to fine rice varieties, incentivised by the bonus. The estimated area for fine rice cultivation in Rabi season is expected to reach 3.3 lakh acres. Farmers could earn an additional Rs 15,000 per acre from the bonus.
Similarly, in the districts of Suryapet and Bhongir, paddy cultivation spans 4.15 lakh acres and 2.88 lakh acres, respectively. Across the erstwhile Nalgonda district, the total cultivation area for fine rice varieties is projected to exceed 5.5 lakh acres out of a total 12 lakh acres of paddy cultivation.
Traditionally, farmers in the Nagarjunasagar Left Canal area under cultivation in Nalgonda and Suryapet districts preferred normal paddy varieties for the Rabi season. However, the Rs 500 bonus has prompted a change in crop patterns.
District agriculture officer Palvai Sravan Kumar confirmed that the sale of fine rice paddy seeds indicates a doubling of fine rice cultivation to over 40 per cent of the total paddy area. He attributed this growth to the financial support provided by the bonus.
Farmers in the region have welcomed the change. P. Rama Krishna, a farmer from Chandanapally, shared that he has shifted to cultivating fine rice on his two-acre farm, expecting an additional income of Rs 15,000 per acre. Another farmer, Koyya Yadaiah from Rasoolpur, noted that millers are also offering prices above the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for fine rice, further boosting their profits.