Hans News Service Vijayawada

Inview of the prevailing El Niño conditions and the associated rainfall deficit, the Agriculture Department has launched a Contingency Crop Plan to support farmers and encourage cultivation on lands that remain unsown during the current Kharif season.

In a statement issued here on Wednesday, Director of Agriculture Dr Manazir Jeelani Samoon said seeds of short-duration and low-water-requiring alternative crops were being supplied to eligible farmers at an 80% subsidy under the contingency plan. The initiative aims to help farmers utilise vacant cultivable land where sowing could not be taken up due to inadequate rainfall, he said.

Further, he said a total of 90,222 quintals of seeds have been allotted under the scheme. The seeds include horse gram (ulavalu), black gram (minumulu), green gram (pesalu), red gram (kandulu), foxtail millet (korralu), finger millet (ragulu) and sesame (nuvvu). Of the total allocation, 54,036 quintals are horse gram, 17,953 quintals black gram, 6,858 quintals green gram and 2,852 quintals red gram, he said.

Additionally, Dr Samoon said seeds would be supplied to eligible farmers based on the extent of their cultivable land, subject to a maximum limit of five acres per farmer. He advised farmers to make use of the seeds supplied under the Contingency Crop Plan and take up alternative crops on vacant lands that could not be sown due to deficient rainfall.Farmers can contact their local Agriculture Officers for details regarding crop-wise subsidy rates, seed dosage and their contribution and collect the seeds at the earliest, he added.