Cotton farmers told not to rush into sowing ops

Khammam: “Farmers should be prepared to adopt alternative cropping patterns,” warned Khammam District Agriculture Officer Dhanasari Pullaiah said on Sunday. “There is a possibility of below-normal rainfall during this kharif season due to the anticipated impact of El Nino,” he said.

Farmers planning to cultivate cotton were advised not to rush into sowing operations and to wait until adequate soil moisture is available. The official suggested that cotton seeds should ideally be sown only after receiving 60 to 70 mm of rainfall and noted that conditions would remain favourable for cotton sowing until July 15.

In his statement, the official informed that the Agriculture Department, in coordination with the Irrigation, Horticulture, and Groundwater Departments, has been conducting awareness programmes in villages to educate farmers about contingency crop planning and water management practices.

“According to weather forecasts, rainfall during the upcoming monsoon season may remain below normal. Keeping this in view, the Agriculture Department has prepared a comprehensive contingency plan for different rainfall scenarios,” he said.

“The department has formulated separate crop plans in case rains are delayed until July 15, July 30 or even August 15,” the officer said.

Farmers cultivating paddy have been advised to adopt direct-seeding methods instead of conventional transplantation if monsoon rains are delayed.

The official recommended short-duration paddy varieties such as BPT-5204, RNR-15048, WGL-44, JGL-1978, MTU-1010, Jai Sriram and HMT Sona, which are considered suitable under delayed sowing conditions.

He said that if drought-like conditions lead to a reduction in the area under paddy, maize and cotton cultivation, farmers could shift to alternative crops such as green gram, black gram, cowpea, red gram and groundnut. “Subsidised green gram seeds would be supplied to farmers under the Atmanirbharta Mission scheme,” he added.

The department urged farmers to stay in touch with local agriculture extension officials and follow scientific advisories to minimise risks arising from uncertain monsoon conditions.