The Hindu Business Line : Severe drought in AP to hit commodities output

THE prices of all essential commodities including rice, pulses, edible oils, onions and chillies are likely to soar in Andhra Pradesh in the coming months.

Except in the case of sunflower, castor, red and black gram, there is a drastic fall in the production of all other commodities on account of severe drought conditions prevailing in the State.

According to the provisional estimates of the State Agriculture Department, production of rice during this year's kharif season is likely to be 48.11 lakh tonnes (l.t.) as against the normal of 68.03 l.t.

Even during the current rabi season, the area under paddy had declined to 1.84 lakh ha from a normal of 12.85 lakh ha.

Similarly, production of bajra is expected to be 46,000 tonnes (normal 96,000 tonnes), maize 6.39 l.t. ( 9.99 l.t.), jowar 2.48 l.t. (2.67 l.t.), ragi and minor millets 95,000 tonnes ( 1.21 l.t.), green gram 62,000 tonnes (1.35 l.t.), horse gram and other pulses 5,000 tonnes (10,000 tonnes), groundnut 2.78 l.t. (11 l.t.), sesamum 13,000 tonnes (22,000 tonnes), cotton 12.02 lakh bales (15.92 l.b.), mesta 5.93 l.b. (6.17 l.b.), sugarcane 124.1 l.t. (168.9 l.t.) and chillies 3.05 l.t. (3.78 l.t.).

On the other hand, it was estimated that there would be an increase in the production of sunflower to 1.12 l.t. (53,000 tonnes), castor 2.49 l.t. (73,000 tonnes), red gram 1.63 l.t. (1.56 l.t.) and black gram 43,000 tonnes (35,000 tonnes).

However, during the current rabi season, crops of Bengal gram, black gram and sunflower were stated to be facing moisture stress and showing withering symptoms on account of the prevailing dry spell.

In view of the non-availability water in the Krishna delta, depletion of groundwater in most parts of the State and severe shortage of power generation, the State Government proposes to divert the paddy areas to dry crops during this rabi season.

Only part of the area under Godavari delta is being given water for paddy. In the remaining areas, cultivation of black gram and other dry crops have been promoted by supplying seed on 50 per cent subsidy.

Consequently, the area under dry crops this season has marginally increased to 22.33 lakh hectares from the normal of 21.8 lakh ha.

The area under onion, however, has declined to 7,075 hectares from the normal of 13,390 ha.

Even during the kharif season, there was a 22 per cent decline in the area under onions. Onions have been sown in 6, 413 hectares against the normal area of 8,180 hectares.

In fact drought conditions are so severe in the State, according to the Agricultural Commissioner, Mr Sutirtha Battacharya, that people were now more worried about availability of drinking water rather than agricultural operations.

It is an unprecedented occurrence in Andhra Pradesh that both kharif and rabi crops are affected on account of failure of monsoons.

Shortage of water in the Godavari delta had not been heard of in the State, he said.

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Severe drought in AP to hit commodities output