Longer than expected dry spells during the monsoon are a scourge of farmers in erstwhile composite Adilabad district, especially those cultivating on the difficult hilly Agency areas under rainfed conditions. For agriculture to succeed under such conditions, the most important aspect is evenly distributed spells of rainfall, a phenomenon which is not being experienced at this juncture in the kharif season.

Cotton and soyabean are the major commercial crops in erstwhile Adilabad which require good monsoon but can withstand moderate dry spells. Longer dry spells invariably result in decreased yields even if the plants survive the hot and humid atmosphere which prevails during the dry spells during mid monsoon.

Evenly spaced rainfall is more needed in the hill areas where the red soil does not retain moisture as much as black cotton (BC) soils do.

Impacts output

Any disturbance in conducive rainfall pattern has an impact on crop yields.

This is one of the major reasons for cotton yields to be as low as three quintals per acre in fields located in the hilly tribal areas.

In the plain areas where cotton is cultivated in BC soils, the average yield is between 5 and 8 quintals per acre even in the face of dry spells like the current one.

Last season

To draw a comparison, there was heavy rainfall in mid July last year and almost all dams received good inflows. The Kadem dam alone, which is located in Nirmal district but has its catchment area of 2,590 sq km spread across a greater part of Adilabad district, received 8.876 tmcft of flood water until July 19, 2018.

The level of water in the reservoir was 697.875 ft against a full reservoir level of 700 ft and the quantum of water was 7.057 tmcft.

This year, the project has received only a dismal 0.81 tmcft of water for its level in the reservoir to be 676.325 ft and quantum at 2.955 tmcft.

No roads

It is not just the nature of soil or the dry spells that pose problems for the Adivasi farmers in hilly areas. The cotton crop is harvested and sold in the markets rather late.

Gedam Bhadi Rao, a farmer from Dharloddi Punaguda village in Adilabad rural mandal, points out to the difficulty he and his compatriots face in transporting the harvested crop to the market.

“There is not even a bullock cart track leading to our village for a distance of 4 km so we have to wait till all farmers harvest their crops and a temporary country pathway can be made to transport the harvest,” he explained.