99 per cent of Kharif sowing completed in Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh has nearly completed Kharif 2025 sowing on 27.75 lakh hectares, 99% of normal. Paddy leads with 15.06 lakh ha, aided by timely rains and delta irrigation. Maize, pulses, and coarse grains exceeded targets, while oilseeds lagged. Normal rainfall (552.8 mm) and full reservoirs support irrigation across major districts.
VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh has nearly completed the Kharif 2025 sowing season, with crops covering 27.75 lakh hectares — 99 per cent of the normal area. According to the latest Season and Crop Coverage report, the state has shown strong performance in major food grains despite uneven rainfall in some regions.
Paddy, the State’s major Kharif crop, dominated the sowing pattern with 15.06 lakh hectares, surpassing the seasonal average of 14.87 lakh hectares and achieving 101 per cent of the target. Officials attributed this to timely rains and improved irrigation in the Godavari and Krishna delta regions. Last year, paddy was cultivated in 13.85 lakh hectares. Krishna district led cultivation with 1.58 lakh hectares, followed by Srikakulam with 1.48 lakh hectares. Significant areas were also reported in Vizianagaram (95,961 ha), Bapatla (94,921 ha), Kakinada (86,891 ha), West Godavari (88,390 ha), Nellore (79,601 ha), Eluru (75,629 ha) and East Godavari (75,439 ha).
Among coarse cereals, maize recorded a sharp rise with 1.76 lakh hectares, 136 per cent of the target. Overall coarse grain cultivation touched 2.35 lakh hectares, achieving 124 per cent compared to the same period last year.
Pulses also performed well, with red gram and black gram reaching 116 per cent and 99 per cent of targets respectively. Overall pulse cultivation stood at 3.27 lakh hectares, 107 per cent of the target.
However, oilseed crops lagged behind. Total sowing was limited to 2.46 lakh hectares, just 57 per cent of normal coverage. Groundnut, the key oilseed, covered 1.95 lakh hectares, 53 per cent of the target. Cotton was sown in 4.40 lakh hectares, reaching 91 per cent of the target.
Rainfall played a decisive role in this performance. The state received 552.8 mm of rainfall between June 1 and October 1, considered normal for the season. Guntur, Chittoor, Annamayya and Kurnool recorded excess rainfall of 20–59 per cent, while districts such as Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Krishna, NTR, Kakinada, Kadapa, Tirupati, Anantapur and Prakasam registered normal rainfall.
Major reservoirs are also brimming. Tungabhadra has a storage of 80 TMC, Srisailam 205 TMC, Nagarjuna Sagar 294 TMC and Pulichintala 37 TMC, ensuring ample irrigation support for the ongoing season.
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Source : The New Indian Express
