Kalahandi farmers take to cotton

IBNlive, July 14, 2011
BHAWANIPATNA: Poor rainfall till now this month has upset the paddy cultivators, but it’s boom time for non-paddy crops particularly cotton in Kalahandi. For the current kharif season, paddy cultivation has been taken up in 1,96,000 hectares. However, erratic monsoon has delayed the broadcasting process. The prevailing weather condition has also many farmers shift to non-paddy crops. Cotton cultivation has benefited the most.� Against 26,315 hectares covered last season, cotton cultivation has been planned across 35,000 hectares this time around.


According to the Agriculture Department, the area under cotton cultivation already exceeded the departmental target of 8,244 hectares last year itself. There was bumper cotton crop supported by good market price. Farmers sold their produce between ` 3,400 and 6,000 a quintal. This has encouraged other farmers to venture into cotton cultivation and the new support price, declared by the Government, has come as an incentive.

These days, hoeing and earthing up works are on in the cotton fields along with sowing of seeds. A specialist in cotton, Narayan Upadhaya said that the weather conditions here suited cotton cultivation and it would exceed the projected target of the district. The black soil in Bhawanipatna, Kesinga and Golamunda blocks of the district besides Narla, Karlamunda, M.Rampur and Lanjigarh blocks are conducive for cotton cultivation, he added.