Vijaywada, February 28: Redgram production remained sluggish because farmers chose to raise the crop mostly on poor and neglected soils under rain-fed conditions on one hand and due to lack of suitable varieties on the other.
As redgram price soared to Rs. 100-120 a kg during 2009-10, the Central government initiated measures to increase production under National Food Security Mission. It increased the minimum support price from Rs. 2,200 to Rs. 3,000 a quintal and the State government added its own subsidy of Rs. 500 per quintal to encourage farmers take to redgram. But the measures yielded only partial success.
Farmers raise red gram on 11.25 lakh acres and produce about two lakh tons in the State.
While Prakasam district alone accounts for two lakh acres, Guntur district covers 62,000 acres and Krishna district 12,500 acres. The Regional Agricultural Research Station at Lam near Guntur had released two varieties LRG 30 and LRG 41 with a potential to yield eight quintals an acre and they occupied most of the area.
Though farmers in Krishna and Guntur districts obtain 5-6 quintals, those in Prakasam district (which accounts for nearly 20 per cent of the total area under redgram in the state) get only 2-3 quintals an acre. Reason? Farmers raise the crop in Giddalur, Markapur, Darsi, Kanigiri, Kandukur, Addanki and Marteru areas of Prakasam district where the soils are red loamy or sandy with low fertility and where there is no irrigation facility. They can increase the yield to five quintals if only they provide one or two wettings to the crop, said Venkateswarlu, Assistant Director of Agriculture, Ongole. Following increase of MSP for redgram, the area has increased from normal 1.5 lakh acres to two lakh acres in Prakasam district last year. But untimely rains and pests like Maruca (pod borer) had wrought havoc with the crop and brought down yields significantly.
Plant breeder, Y Satish, Agricultural Research Station at Darsi in Prakasam district, admitted the need to improve varieties.
-Agencies