Paddy cultivation to increase in Rayalaseema during Rabi

Officials are estimating that as a result, the area under paddy cultivation will increase in the Rayalaseema region during the forthcoming Rabi season.

During last year’s Rabi season, cultivation of paddy had been badly hit in the Kanekal area under Rayadurg segment of Anantapur district. Kurnool brand rice had also failed because of poor water allocation to irrigation in the last Rabi season. Farmers did not cultivate tens of thousands of acres of land because of the shortage of rains.

This year, however, there is enough storage of water in the Tungabhadra Reservoir. There is good storage of water in all reservoirs under the Handri Neeva and Galeru Nagari Sujala Sravanthi projects. Irrigation tanks are full even in the tail-end parts of Kadiri in Satya Sai, Kadapa, Annamayya and Chittoor districts.

Ground water table has improved even in dry areas like Hindupur and Rolla due to filling up of irrigation tanks. Rayalaseema’s biggest tank Bukkapattanam and another big tank Parigi are full.

“Once these tanks fill, groundwater is available in the region for at least three years,” a farmer Ranga Reddy from Parigi observed.

Water resources authorities have said sufficient water is available for Rabi season this year and farmers can take up cultivation of paddy or ragi on a large scale.

A rice trader V. Gupta from Siriguppa anticipates that prices of rice that had shot up last year are likely to come down after the Rabi season.