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Go for direct seeding, farmers told
As paddy transplantation got delayed in upland areas, agricultural officials have suggested that farmers opt for direct sowing of seed to save time and cultivation costs.
Paddy transplantation way behind schedule in upland areas
Pithapuram (East Godavari): As paddy transplantation got delayed in upland areas, agricultural officials have suggested that farmers opt for direct sowing of seed to save time and cultivation costs. Paddy is raised in 52,000 acres in Kharif in Yeleru ayacut. The crop is raised in another 32,000 acres under the Pithapuram branch canal.
Paddy transplantation under the Pithapuram branch canal is nearing completion. Due to low level of water in the Yeleru reservoir project, farmers of the ayacut are yet to take up transplantation of paddy. Farmers who raise the crop under borewells, have only taken up paddy transplantation in the Yeleru ayacut and it does not exceed 10,000 acres. The move to supply water from the Pushkara Lift Irrigation Scheme to Yeleru has rekindled the hopes of ayacut farmers.
Speaking to The Hans India, Assistant Director of Agriculture Padmasri said: ``It is advisable to farmers of upland areas who are yet to take up paddy transplantation, to go for direct seeding. As per normal practice, if paddy transplantation is taken up in the first week of June, it is completed by July and the crop comes to harvest by October. Due to delay in transplantation of paddy, the crop comes to harvest by the last week of October.
As there is every likelihood of cyclones occurring in the coastal Andhra at that time, the paddy crop ready for harvest is prone to damage. If farmers opt for direct seeding method, they can reap the harvest early.’’ Agricultural officers Ch Satyanarayana and Sudha Madhuri recommended cultivation of MTU 1075, 1061 and 1064 in the upland areas in Kharif as the paddy varieties can withstand submersion of fields due to floods and cyclones which occur in the last week of October.
In Pithapuram Assembly constituency, paddy transplantation has not been taken up in 10,000 hectares due to delay in getting Yeleru water. According to Padmasri, paddy has been transplanted in 248 hectares in Pithapuram, 142 hectares in Gollaprolu and 172 hectares in Kothapalli mandals so far. Direct seeding of paddy has been completed in 322 hectares in the constituency.
More and more farmers are likely to opt for direct seeding this season due to delay in paddy transplantation. The average yield per acre can be increased through the direct seeding method, besides reducing the cultivation costs, she said.
By Saride Nageswara Rao
