Groundnut area shrinks as erratic rain hits Anantapur

Anantapur-Puttaparthi: It’s either excess rainfall or poor rainfall that keeps dogging farmers in Anantapur district. Last year the excess rainfall resulted in decaying of crop while this year it is poor and erratic rainfall that is resulting in withering of crop. Due to monsoon playing truant this year, 50 percent of farmers failed to sow in time while those who sowed suffered 80 percent of crop loss. The month of August experienced dry spell. Although September recorded some rainfall it did not help the farmers.

Due to monsoon playing hide and seek, the principal crop being groundnut which is spread in nearly 17 lakh acres in the undivided district, dwindled to 10 lakh acres by 2020 and further deteriorated presently to 5 lakh acres.

Farmers in Anantapur rely on monsoon for their agricultural activities. Irregular or inadequate rainfall can disrupt farming schedules, impacting crop yields and income.

Rising costs of agricultural inputs like seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and machinery have doubled and posed financial challenges for farmers. Farmers are also deprived of investment subsidy ever since the YSRCP government is in place. In this kharif season, groundnut was down in 2.5 lakh acres in Anantapur and 2.3 lakh acres in Sathya Sai districts.

Farmers in twin districts incurred losses of nearly Rs 3,000 crores. On an average Rs 30,000 was invested on each acre and the total investment was a whopping Rs 1,400 crores. After withering and partial damage to crops, the farmers are not able to get back their basic investment money.

Narayana, a farmer from Narpala bemoaned that he had sown groundnut in 5 acres and invested Rs 1.10 lakh on sowing operations but the nuts did not develop due to no rainfall in August. Although outwardly it is looking green on the outside due to rainfall in September, the crop has not attained maturity and yield is expected to be poor.

Same is the case with hundreds of farmers in the twin districts.

Implementing crop insurance schemes can protect farmers against crop failures and natural disasters, providing them with financial stability during challenging times.

Encouraging farmers to diversify their crops and explore value-added products can enhance their income potential and reduce dependence on a single crop or market like the groundnut crop but unfortunately the farmers are disinclined for diversification as they feel it is a big decision.

Insufficient rainfall during the monsoon season can result in crop failures and loss of income for farmers. This can push farmers further into debt and financial distress, exacerbating existing challenges in the agricultural sector.