Hyderabad: Telangana farmers have expanded paddy cultivation this kharif despite repeated warnings from the state govt and agricultural experts against growing water-intensive crops amid a weak monsoon and El Nino-linked weather concerns.Official data shows paddy has been sown in 11.81 lakh acres so far, up by 79,018 acres from 11.02 lakh acres during the corresponding period last year. The crop has already covered 16.71% of its normal kharif area of 65.95 lakh acres.Agriculture minister Tummala Nageswara Rao has repeatedly urged farmers to shift to less water-intensive crops such as pulses, oilseeds and millets, cautioning that deficient rainfall could make paddy cultivation risky if monsoon conditions do not improve. Agricultural experts have also advocated crop diversification, particularly in rainfed regions, but the current sowing pattern indicates limited response to those appeals.Farmers’ continued preference for paddy is attributed to assured procurement, minimum support price operations, improved irrigation infrastructure and familiarity with the crop. Many growers also view paddy as a comparatively safer option despite weather uncertainties.“We do not have an option but to go for paddy as the govt does not give MSP for other crops. We need a lot more assistance to switch over to other crops,” N Venkat Reddy, a farmer from Tukkuguda, told TOI.Nizamabad leads the state in paddy cultivation with 2.51 lakh acres, followed by Kamareddy (1.07 lakh acres), Yadadri Bhuvanagiri (99,626 acres), Jangaon (95,653 acres) and Medak (60,819 acres).Overall, Telangana has recorded sowing in 68.43 lakh acres under kharif crops, covering 51.69% of the normal cropped area of 1.32 crore acres. Total cultivation is 86,138 acres higher than during the same period last year, reflecting sustained farm activity despite below-normal rainfall.Cotton remains the dominant kharif crop with 43.70 lakh acres, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the total area sown. It is followed by paddy, while maize has been cultivated in 4.09 lakh acres, red gram in 3.68 lakh acres and soyabean in 3.56 lakh acres.Agricultural scientists caution that a prolonged rainfall deficit could subject water-intensive crops such as paddy to moisture stress, particularly in rainfed areas. They say the latest sowing trend underscores the challenge of encouraging crop diversification at a time of increasing climate variability.
