Kharif crop acreage in Telangana reaches 125.85 lakh acres

Hyderabad: Telangana, a leading producer of paddy, cotton, and maize, saw its total Kharif crop acreage reach 125.85 lakh acres by September 30 due to a deficit in monsoon rainfall this year; this is 7.40 lakh acres less than the 133.25 lakh acres sown during the same period last year. The decline in paddy acreage contributed the most to this drop.

According to the State Agriculture Department's report, the combined acreage for paddy and coarse cereals in Telangana fell from 74.16 lakh acres last year to 63.13 lakh acres during the current Kharif season. Specifically, paddy acreage dropped from 62.33 lakh acres to 56.80 lakh acres, while maize acreage fell from 6.46 lakh acres to 5.93 lakh acres. Jowar acreage remained stable at 35,000–36,000 acres.

However, the acreage for pulse crops surged from 5.86 lakh acres to 7.98 lakh acres. Within this category, the sown area for Arhar (Tur) increased from 4.92 lakh acres to 5.58 lakh acres, Moong acreage jumped from 62,000 acres to 1.61 lakh acres, and Urad acreage rose from 31,000 acres to 74,000 acres. Sowing for pulse crops has concluded.

The acreage for oilseed crops also improved, rising from 3.76 lakh acres to 3.97 lakh acres, driven primarily by soybean cultivation. The soybean cultivation area there increased from 3.62 lakh acres to 3.72 lakh acres. Simultaneously, the area sown with groundnut rose from 12,000 acres to 20,000 acres. Castor sowing has also increased.

In Telangana, the cotton cultivation area surged from 46 lakh acres last year to 48.33 lakh acres this season. The sowing campaign for Kharif crops in the state has concluded.