It was a dream start for cotton sowing in Adilabad district, thanks to the rainfall pattern during the last week. Rain in the night and sufficient sunlight in the day, which enables sowing of seed, is the pattern of pre-monsoon since June 4, which has brought enormous joy to the beleaguered farming community here.

The area under cotton in erstwhile Adilabad district is likely to cross the 3.3 lakh hectare mark which is the normal area under this cash crop.

The area had decreased by about 40,000 hectares last kharif, thanks to a call given by the State government to shun cotton cultivation.

Statistics are not available yet on the extent of sowing that has taken place in the last few days but it is estimated that it could be about 30,000 hectares so far.

Even if the monsoon is delayed by a few more days, the tempo in cotton sowing is not likely to come down.