The kharif crop acreage has improved to 82% of the normal average in the drought-prone Prakasam district in view of near-normal rainfall during the monsoon season.
Farmers have cultivated crops in over 1.40 lakh hectares as against the average of 1.71 lakh hectares as kharif season comes to close by September-end. The shortfall will come down further during the last week of September and the first week of October, according to Agriculture Joint Director S. Srinivasa Rao.