Hyderabad: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working President KT Rama Rao (KTR) on Tuesday, September 17, took a dig at the Congress government over Telangana’s “poor” performance in the agricultural sector.
The state now has the lowest sown area in the Kharif season in the last five years. “It takes a special talent to destroy something that is running so efficiently. The somersaults of the govt in releasing Raithu Runa Mafi, and no word on Raithu Bandhu resulted in this unfortunate situation,” said KTR.
The Sircilla MLA further asked when the farmers would receive the loan waiver and Raithu Bharosa funds.
According to reports, till the second week of September, sowing operations have been completed in only 1.23 crore acres, about 95 per cent of the normal cultivation area of 1.29 crore acres for the ongoing Kharif season.
This is a stark contrast to the corresponding period last year when sowing was completed in 1.28 crore acres. The cultivation of major crops like paddy, cotton, and pulses was severely affected.
This is being attributed to uncertainty over irrigation water supply and the absence of Rythu Bharosa investment support and limited crop loan disbursement.
Adding to the woes, the recent heavy rains have fully or partially damaged crops in more than 20 lakh acres which is feared to have an adverse impact on the overall crop production.
Some of the adversely affected crops include sugarcane, paddy, major millet, and cotton. Paddy which is mostly sown in the last month of the season due to its short span of cultivation, witnessed a decline in cropping area from 62 lakh acres in the last Vanakalam season to 59 lakh acres during the current season.
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