Rains help farmers sow paddy on 1.13 lakh hectares in Godavari districts

Kakinada: The agricultural operations are in full swing in both upland and delta areas of East and West Godavari districts as the recent rains are helping farmers to carry forward with their cultivation.

They are preparing for sowing paddy and other crops and some farmers are also in a mood for transplantation of paddy.

According to agricultural officials, paddy sowing has been completed on 1.13 lakh hectares including 61,000 hectares in East Godavari and 52,000 hectares in West Godavari district.

The Agriculture department has also planned to promote red-gram on the bunds of fields and have supplied the seeds to mandal headquarters, which will supply them to Rythu Bharosa Kendras.

The red-gram seed will be supplied with a cent per cent subsidy to farmers at the rate of one kilo per hectare.

In East Godavari district, farmers have completed sowing of paddy on 19,087 hectares in the Central Delta, 37,500 hectares in the Eastern Delta, 5,163 hectares in the upland area and 73 hectares in the agency area.

The officials said the work on the nurseries has been completed on 7,300 hectares and other crops such as cotton, maize, sugarcane etc are being cultivated on 2,917 hectares so far.

In West Godavari district, paddy sowings have been completed on 52,000 hectares out of two lakh hectares during this Kharif. The other crops like cotton on 800 hectares and sugarcane on 6,500 acres are being cultivated this kharif.

West Godavari district joint director of agriculture Gouse Begum said 5 per cent excess rainfall is recorded in the West Godavari district in this season. The agriculture operations are brisk and the farmers are busy with the cultivation process.

However, she said the poor drainage canal system has damaged the fields under Nidadavolu and Chagallu areas and farmers having cultivation on nearly 10,000 hectares are getting worried.

The water from the four main canals is reaching in one drainage which is clogged with weeds. Desilting work has not been done. She visited the fields of Chagallu mandal and interacted with the farmers.

The farmers told her that weeds are resulting in blocks in water flow in drains. If the government spends Rs4 crore to modernise the drain, the problem can be solved, they said.

Begum advised the farmers to discuss the matter with the Village Agriculture Advisory Board and make resolutions and send them to the government through a proper channel.

Meanwhile, she advised other farmers cultivating the fields to till their land.