Andhra's spiced-up incentives weed Guntur ryots off chillies

Officials of the agricultural department of Guntur district have succeeded in discouraging farmers from taking up chillies cultivation on a large scale for the current kharif (first crop) season.

Last year's crop is still playing havoc with their fortunes at the auction floors of the market committee yard here. The incentives offered by officials have got the farmers to go in for diversification of crops.

P Ajit Kumar, joint director of agriculture, said, "Farmers have responded well to the department's package of 33 per cent subsidy for cash crops other than chillies, particularly red gram, soyabean and castor. They have also been offered Rs 100 more than the minimum support price of Rs 1,400 per quintal for red gram."

"Consequently," he said, "sowing of chillies has come down to 18,682 hectare, which may ultimately touch 20,000 hectare against the normal hectareage of 57,213. Simultaneously, farmers have increased red gram sowing to 33,327 hectare against last year's crop area of 27,500 hectare. The red gram sowing area may further go up in the coming days. Castor sowing has gone up from 4,640 hectare (last year) to 6,136 hectare, and that of turmeric from 4,846 (last year) to 5,760 hectare."

However, he said, farmers had thus far sown cotton, another disaster crop of 2004-05, in normal crop area of 1,24,685 hectare.

Kumar said farmers of the delta area, which received sumptuous rains, are the happiest lot.

"Thus far, they have completed transplantation in 2.19 lakh hectare, and operations are still going in another 50,000 hectare. The figure would cross last year's crop area of 2,40,404 hectare."

Farmers had also sown jowar in 197 hectare, bajra in 1,149 hectare, maize in 1,488 hectare, green gram in 4,364 hectare, black gram in 852 hectare, groundnut in 240 hectare, sesamum in 5,861 hectare, soya in 850 hectare, sugarcane in 1,645 hectare, jute in 7,000 hectare, and other crops in 33,500 hectare. No pest or disease has thus far attacked crops in the district.

"Fertilisers are available aplenty in the district. The department is also selling fertilisers at competitive prices at its market committees and 67 primary agricultural societies. It has opened 18 new agro service centres," Kumar said.