Telangana, the youngest state in India has achieved a turnaround in the agriculture arena in the past seven years.
Telangana Tops The Agricultural Arena
As per the latest reports, Telangana has achieved new heights in the agricultural arena of the state. The agricultural industry has reportedly almost doubled production and has further increased the area that can be used under cultivation.
Some officials suggest that this could be made possible because of the multiple irrigation projects, all-day long free power supply to farmers, and the revival of tanks. Along with the financial assistance of Rs 10,000 is also being provided to the farmers as the input costs per acre per year.
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In the year 2014, when Telangana was formed out of Andhra Pradesh and the area under cultivation was 1.41 crores acres. But since then (in just seven years) the area has increased to 2.10 crore acres in both the period of Vaanakalam (Kharif) and Yasangi (Rabi) seasons.
Even the agriculture yield has nearly doubled from 2,05 crore tonnes to 4,11 crore tonnes at the same period.
Official figures suggest that Paddy was cultivated in the 34.97 lakh acres in 2013-14 and it has increased to 1.04 crore acres in 2020-21. Along with this, government procurement has also increased from 24.30 lakh tonnes in 2014 to 1.11 crore tonnes in 2020.
Government Claims Telangana As “Rice Bowl of the Coutrny”
The government of Telangana recently claimed the state to be the rice bowl of the country. The fact was highlighted by Governor Tamilisai Soudararajan’s address in the joint session of the state legislature on Monday. She said that Telangana has become the “annapurna” of the country.
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Last summer, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) also said that the 1.15 crore tonnes of paddy was procured from all of India. And at least 56 percent of it was from Telangana alone.
In the past years, the area dedicated to the growth of cotton has also increased. It has increased from 41.83 lakh acres to 60.54 lakh acres. To be able to cater to the needs of state, the government has expanded their marketing and godown facilities. The market has increased from 150 to 192 and the capacity of godowns also saw a drastic rise.
However, some officials also claim that especially in the last year, the production and the cultivation in the agriculture industry has done well. They said because of the pandemic many people lost their jobs. So they relied mainly on the agricultural sources of income
