4.53 lakh hectares seem withering; CM wants farmers bailed out. | |
| Crops, sown in about 4.53 lakh hectares "� mostly covered under green gram, maize, cotton and red gram, are showing signs of withering as most parts of Andhra Pradesh continue to reel under drought conditions. |
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| Hoping to see some improvement in the situation in view of the ongoing rain spells, Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, at a videoconference with districts' administration here today, asked the officials to help farmers cope with the grim situation by providing seeds and credit required for alternative crops. |
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| According to the information collected by the state agriculture department, sowing operations were completed only in 29.77 lakh hectares (on Tuesday) against the usual acreage of 45.01 lakh hectares. In the state, the normal crop area during the kharif season is over 72 lakh hectares. |
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| According to the agriculture department figures, 12 of the 23 districts are facing drought-like situation as the state received only 162.7 mm rainfall compared with the normal 268.9 mm, a deficit of 40 per cent. |
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| Coming to withering symptoms, green gram is reported to be the most affected in terms of area with 1.25 lakh hectares facing a threat of complete withering followed by maize in 1.13 lakh hectares. |
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| Cotton in 51,000 hectares, red gram in 47,000 hectares, jowar in 36,850 hectares, black gram in 31,445 hectares, and groundnut in 15,180 hectares have also been affected by lack of rains. |
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| N Raghuveera Reddy, the agriculture minister, directed the officials to visit villages and deliver seeds to farmers for alternative crops on the spot, beside ensuring farm credit. |
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