The State government has shifted its focus to making arrangements for the next crop season, yasangi (rabi), by asking Agriculture department officials to procure the required quantity of inputs for the next season, with sowing or transplantation or plantation for the first season, vanakalam (kharif), almost coming to an end.
According to officials, vanakalam crops have been cultivated in about 129.32 lakh acres so far and combined with horticulture and plantation crops in another 9.5 lakh acres, the total extent covered this season extends to 138.82 lakh acres.
Minister for Agriculture S. Niranjan Reddy held a meeting with Secretary (Agriculture) B. Janardhan Reddy, Chairman of Telangana State Seed Development Corporation K. Koteshwar Rao and Managing Director K. Keshavulu on procurement of seed for the next season.
He asked officials to keep available the seed required for next season, particularly of paddy, bengal gram, groundnut and other crops, by month-end since good monsoon season and availability of water in projects and minor irrigation tanks was expected to push the yasangi cultivation to a great extent. Seed corporation officials informed him that about 73,000 quintals of bengal gram seed and 50,000 quintals of groundnut seed was already available with the agency.
Meanwhile, the Minister reiterated his request to the Centre to supply urea in time as it was in short supply by 2.54 lakh metric tonnes till the end of August and for the first crop season ending this month it was 4.64 lakh tonnes.
He urged the Centre to consider the increase in extent of cultivation by over 36% this season compared to last year and make higher allotment.