Paddy overload

Even as it records a rise in paddy acreage, Telangana enhances its push for fine-grained varieties of the crop, raising concerns

- G RAM MOHAN

OVER THE past decade, farmer G Ravinder Reddy has noticed an agricultural shift in his village, Choppadanti. Acreage of paddy in the village in Telangana’s Karimnagar district has increased in both kharif (or vanakalam) and rabi (yasangi) seasons. “Irrigation has shifted, as paddy fields need to be flooded, not watered periodically like maize,” says Ravinder Reddy, who grew cotton, maize and paddy earlier, but now only grows paddy. The village has also gained a floating population of farm workers from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra during sowing and harvest.

Such a scenario may be visible across Telangana, particularly after the state government’s decision to give farmers a bonus of ₹500 per quintal (100 kg) above minimum support price (MSP) on procurement of fine-grained paddy, which has been less cultivated in the state.

This bonus is part of the Congress government’s promises during the 2023 state assembly elections. Its manifesto only mentioned “paddy crops”. After coming to power, the government specified the bonus for 33 fine paddy varieties.