Date:19/07/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/07/19/stories/2006071910900400.htm

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Farm contingency plan on anvil

M. Malleswara Rao

Alternative crops planned to overcome impending crisis due to dry spell

The plan will be announced after July 20

Crops are withering in many areas belying hope

HYDERABAD: Concerned about the impact of the prolonged dry spell on farm operations, the State Government is preparing an agricultural contingency plan to suggest alternative crops like castor, redgram, jowar and soybean to farmers to overcome the impending crisis.

It has positioned adequate seed stocks of all these crops and will provide them at subsidised price. The Government wants to announce this contingency plan after monitoring the situation till July 20. Officials have not given up hope since kharif paddy can be sown till the end of July. The Indian Meteorological Department has forecast normal rainfall for peninsular India. But, there is an overall rainfall deficit of 24 per cent even as the monsoon is into its seventh week. The wet spell caused by a depression last month benefited only North Coastal districts, especially Srikakulam and Vizianagaram.

Initial assessment

An initial assessment by the Agriculture Department has put Nalgonda, Medak, Karimnagar and Mahabubnagar districts as "affected" by dry spell. Large tracts of lands in these districts have been left fallow while major reservoirs have yet received substantial inflows so far. Inflows into projects like Sriramsagar, Nizamsagar, Singur, Somasila and Kandaleru are almost next to nothing.

However, Krishna-based projects like Srisailam are half full, primarily because of inflows received last monsoon. A saving grace is that the water needs of the Krishna delta and Konaseema, each accounting for 13 lakh acres of paddy are being met.