Foodgrain production in Andhra Pradesh has missed the target, with three cyclones causing extensive damage to agriculture. Against a target of 225 lakh tonnes for the year, the State is likely to achieve 207 lakh tonnes. Paddy, groundnut, cotton and maize will be major losers.
The Government has pared the advance estimates for the full year after assessing the situation. The State is expected to produce 137 lakh tonnes of rice, missing the target by 10 lakh tonnes.
“This, however, is still higher than the normal production of 131 lakh tonnes. In 2012-13, the State produced 111 lakh tonnes,” a senior Agriculture Department official told
Average yield per hectare dropped 250 kg. The three cyclones, occurred in three different stages of crop growth in kharif and rabi, drastically affecting yields.
The target for groundnut production would also be missed as production is expected to be at the normal level of 11 lakh tonnes. The State aimed at producing 17.50 lakh tonnes of groundnut in 2013-14. The State would produce 52 lakh bales (of 170 kg of lint) as against a target of 78 lakh bales. The average production is put at 55 lakh bales.
Crisis deepens Prof. K.R. Chowdhary, agricultural economist, feels that the drop in production targets might not hit the availability of foodgrains for people as the country has enough stocks. “But loss of production and productivity would mean lesser incomes for farmers, who are already in deep financial crisis. This would lead to lesser investments in agriculture as their ability to repay and generate new loans comes down. This, in turn, would deepen the crisis,” he said.
Maize gains The advance estimates, however, shows better prospects for maize. Maize production could go up to 53 lakh tonnes against the target of 51 lakh tonnes. Increase in some sugarcane areas could be a reason for this growth. The maize area has crossed the 10-lakh-hectare mark in 2013-14 against a target of 9 lakh hectares.
The average maize area is eight lakh hectares. It, however, has been witnessing a gradual increase in the last two years. It reached 9.60 lakh hectares last year. With sugarcane becoming unviable and less dependable, farmers in the coastal districts and in Telangana areas are slowly shifting to maize, which is giving assured returns.