Direct sowing paddy plants face water crunch

Srikakulam: Direct sowing paddy plants are going to dry up in 21 mandals across the district during current kharif season due to deficit rainfall.

In the wake of dry spell farmers across the district are adopting two methods this year for paddy cultivation-one is direct sowing method and another is growing of nursery and re-plantation. Farmers are growing paddy nurseries for more than one month. But, due to scarcity of water and deficit rainfall, farmers adopted direct sowing method to avoid delay.

Out of the total 30 mandals across the district, 21 mandals received deficit rainfall this year. In Kotturu, Pathapatnam, Meliaputti, Mandasa, Kanchili, Itchapuram, Kaviti, Sompeta, Nandigam, Saravakota, Santhabommali, Kotabommali, Jalumuru, G.Sigadam, Narasannapeta, Polaki, Gara, Srikakulam rural, Ponduru, Laveru and Ranastalam mandals 60 per cent less rainfall reported than normal till first week of July.

Paddy is being cultivated in an extent of 4.50 lakh acres during every kharif season in these 21 mandals. In addition, water is also not released from the projects where the water storage levels also witnessing less than normal level. Farmers under Gotta barrage, Narayanapuram project, Thotapalli reservoir are waiting for irrigated water to save their paddy plants.