After a disastrous kharif this year, farmers in Andhra Pradesh seem to have entered the rabi season without too many hopes.

While cotton farmers are still hoping to get a few more ‘pickings' to reduce their losses, others are just waiting for favourable conditions though it is two weeks into the season.

Though it is just the beginning of the season and farmers still have enough time to come back if the situation turns positive, early signs do not seem too encouraging.

In a total average (rabi) cropped area of 40.44 lakh hectares, farmers normally would have covered 5.65 lakh ha as on October 27. But they have covered only 2.96 lakh ha so far, reaching just above the 50 per cent mark.

Serious stress due to lack of moisture, which had affected kharif crops in 15.70 lakh hectares, continues to pose a problem through the rabi season.

Paddy, sunflower and bengalgram are the worst hit. As against the as-on-date figure of 0.12 lakh ha, paddy was sown in about 1,200 ha, registering just 10 per cent. Sunflower, which should have been sown in 0.72 lakh ha, was sown in just 0.12 lakh ha or 17 per cent of the area.

Official figures show a deficit of 56 per cent in rains with North-East monsoon failing to cover most parts, leaving 12 districts in the bracket of districts that witnessed scanty (with a deficit of 60-99 per cent) rainfall and seven districts in a deficit of 20-59 per cent. This coupled with erratic power delayed sowing operations.

The Andhra Pradesh Government, which has pegged the number of drought-hit mandals at about 500-600, estimates that there would be severe yield losses in all kharif crops in the range of 50-80 per cent. In some mandals, this could be 100 per cent, meaning that farmers would be left with nothing.

It is blackgram (sown in 0.18 lakh ha) and chillies (sown in 0.126 lakh ha) that have crossed the averages, while maize (0.16 lakh ha) managed to reach the average figure.

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