Kharif and rabi, the common names for monsoon and summer crops across the country, will now be called ‘Vanakalam’ (rainy season) and Yasangi (summer) seasons in Telangana.

TheTelangana Government has decided to rechristen the names of the agricultural seasons, picking the popular Telugu names ‘Vanakalam’ and ‘Yasangi’. While the two names are popular among the farmers, the official nomenclature of kharif and rabi are being used in the official communications, agricultural action plans, agricultural academic and research institutes. The government has decided to change the names in order to remove the confusion, and make it easier for the farmers and ground-level extension officers to communicate with one another.

All the government references in gazettes, government orders, and departmental documents to the two seasons will be in Telugu.

“Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao wanted us to use the popular Telugu names for the two seasons. It is in their lingo,” Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy has said.

The Ministry has issued orders to the Agriculture Department in this regard. All the educational and research institutes in agriculture and allied areas have also been directed to use the new names for the agri seasons from this monsoon season itself.