Anantapur: Groundnut farmers incur heavy losses due to erratic rainfall

Anantapur/Puttaparthi: A drop in the yield due to erratic monsoon made the groundnut farmers of Anantapur and Puttaparthi districts to incur heavy loss, who invested about Rs 1,400 crore, according to official estimation.

Groundnut was sowed in about 4.60 lakh acres in the undivided district. On an average, each farmer had invested Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000 per acre. Under normal conditions, the yield will be 18 to 22 bags per acre. But the present yield, which was two to three bags per acre, clearly shows the magnitude of drought conditions, caused by monsoon failure in the district.

Except in the primitive stages of post sowing, rainfall was not recorded. For the past three months, there was no rainfall except in dribs and drabs at isolated places in the district.

Since there was no rainfall in the flowering stage of the crop, plants failed to grow. In most of the places, crop withered, which was not even good as fodder for the animals.

Sowing in Kharif was confined to 4.50 lakh acres out of the total groundnut acreage of 10 lakh acres. This time losses are so huge, which left no scope for even fodder supply to animals.

Scanty rainfall during Kharif season resulted in depletion of water levels in borewells. Farmers were surprised when a government report stated that there are no drought conditions in 14 mandals.

Joint director of Agriculture Uma Maheshwaramma told ‘The Hans India’ that based on weather reports from climate study centres, a report will be sent to the government, recommending compensation under climate-based insurance payment in the district.