Vidarbha admin prepares kharif sowing strategy amid rainfall concerns in region

Nagpur: Ahead of the kharif sowing season, the Vidarbha administration intensified preparations across the region, with Divisional Commissioner Vijayalakshmi Bidari directing district authorities to ensure uninterrupted supply of seeds, fertilisers and crop loans to farmers while cracking down on black marketing and industrial misuse of urea. Chairing a regional review meeting on Friday, Bidari said kharif sowing was planned over nearly 18.95 lakh hectares across the division. She instructed district collectors to coordinate with agriculture, banking and cooperative departments to ensure farmers receive agricultural inputs and financial assistance on time. The administration is targeting 100% sowing coverage despite concerns over below-normal rainfall this year. According to officials, the IMD forecast only 92% rainfall for the region during the monsoon season, raising fears of dry spells during critical crop stages. Bidari stressed need to promote oilseed cultivation alongside traditional crops like paddy, cotton, soybean and tur. Paddy cultivation remains dominant in Bhandara, Gondia, Gadchiroli and Chandrapur, while cotton accounts for largest share of cropped area across Vidarbha.Officials informed that soybean cultivation is planned over 2.61 lakh hectares, cotton over 6.8 lakh hectares and tur over 1.87 lakh hectares this season. The region is expected to require around 2.37 lakh quintals of seeds, with authorities stating adequate stocks are available through Mahabeej and private suppliers. Jt dir of agriculture Umesh Ghadge said sufficient reserves of urea and DAP fertilisers were available to meet demand during sowing season. The administration advised farmers to adopt climate-resilient farming methods, including ridge-and-furrow cultivation for cotton, broad-bed furrow (BBF) sowing for soybean, and direct-seeded rice (DSR) and System of Rice Intensification (SRI) techniques for paddy cultivation. Bidari also ordered strict action against fertiliser black marketing and diversion of agricultural urea for industrial use. She directed officials to appoint flying squads at taluka level, inspect shops and industrial units, wherever misuse is suspected.