Telangana has started documenting crop diversification trends in the form of an index for the first time in the country, following the paddy procurement row with the Centre and the state government asking farmers to opt for alternate crops.
According to the crop diversification index, the state grows 77 varieties, with roughly 10 crops, predominantly grains, favored for diversification. In the state, Nirmal, Vikarabad, and Sangareddy are more diverse.
It was also discovered that Peddapalli, Karimnagar, and Suryapet were the three least diverse areas. Surprisingly, in these regions where paddy farming is common, the maize cropping area has declined dramatically while the cotton cropping area has expanded. According to state officials, the score will serve as a benchmark for future agricultural diversification in the state.
The index has a starting value of one. It represents the proportion of total cultivated area devoted to a single crop. Many districts in the state have index values ranging from 0 to 5, and the higher the score, the greater the agricultural diversification.
The current index was calculated using the area under 77 different crops, along with all food, non-food, and cash crops, and also the area under floriculture.
It was also discovered that, after conventional paddy and maize, pulses were the most preferred crops in the state.
Following paddy, farmers prioritized wheat, jowar, bajra, maize, green gram, black gram, red gram, Bengal gram, cow gram, and chilies.
"Before the increase in paddy crop production, farmers to grow a large variety of pulses and other food crops." "The same pattern must now be expanded," agricultural department officials stated.
"Looking at the index numbers, there is a greater need for diversification," they stated.
Crop diversification efforts have resulted in a 77.9% reduction in maize area from 9.7 lakh acres in 2019-20 (in Vaanakalam) to 2.1 lakh acres in 2020-21.
Cotton acreage climbed by 10.9 percent during the same time, from 52.6 lakh to 58.3 lakh acres, while red gram acreage grew by 45.1 percent, from 7.3 lakh to 10.6 lakh acres.
