Telangana Agriculture Minister Urges Farmers to Embrace Short Duration Paddy in Kharif to Optimize Rabi Harvest

In a proactive move to mitigate crop damage caused by untimely rains, Minister for Agriculture S. Niranjan Reddy has emphasized the importance of advancing paddy cultivation in the rabi (Yasangi) season. The minister directed agriculture authorities to raise awareness among farmers about the benefits of cultivating short-duration paddy varieties during the kharif (Vanakalam) season.

During a recent meeting, Minister Reddy urged officials from the Agriculture Department to actively engage with farmers, providing them with guidance and recommendations, particularly due to the delayed onset of monsoon rains. Referring to the meteorological department's forecast, he informed the attendees that normal rainfall is expected from the second week of July until the last week of August, with favourable rainfall conditions for the next three days.

The minister instructed officials to educate farmers on the optimal time to sow cotton, emphasizing the necessity of adequate soil moisture for seed germination and initial plant growth.

He also assured that necessary fertilizer and seed supplies were readily available for the upcoming sowing operations.

To facilitate the farming community, Minister Reddy suggested providing farmers with the Vanakalam crop calendar. Additionally, he encouraged the cultivation of short-duration paddy varieties such as Kunaram Sannalu, Kunaram 1638, Bathukamma, Warangal 962, RNR 21278, RNR 29325, Jagitial 1798, Telangana Sona, MTU 1010, Jagitial 24423, IR 64, and HMT Sona for the current season.

Prominent figures including Secretary (Agriculture) M. Raghunandan Rao, Special Commission Hanmanth K. Zendge, Director of Hyderabad Met Centre K. Nagarathna, Director of Seed Development Corporation K. Keshavulu, and Additional Director (Agriculture) Vijay Kumar were present at the meeting, demonstrating their commitment to agricultural development.