Crops wait as monsoon plays truant in Telangana

Delayed monsoon rains have slowed Telangana's farm activity to its lowest levels. Paddy cultivation is the biggest casualty of the uneven rainfall pattern this season. Farmers are holding back from transplanting, waiting for sustained showers to begin. Sowing has covered only 45.4% of the normal cultivated area as of July 14. Telangana received 158.4 mm rainfall against the normal 228 mm, a deficit of 30%.