Farmers told to cultivate ID crops

Farmers told to cultivate ID crops
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There is no water for paddy in Nagarjunasagar right canal ayacut area in Guntur and Prakasam districts in 115 lakh acres during this kharif season

Guntur: There is no water for paddy in Nagarjunasagar right canal ayacut area in Guntur and Prakasam districts in 11.5 lakh acres during this kharif season.

When the water level is not increasing in the Nagarjunasagar Dam, the government has decided to encourage irrigated dry crops in the Nagarjunasagar canal ayacut area instead of paddy during this season. The farmers, who pinned their hopes on paddy, are worrying.

According to sources in the Irrigation department, there is no inflows into the Nagarjunasagar Dam so far during this season. At present the water level in the Nagarjunasagar reservoir is 513 feet. Inflows into Srisailam reservoir are gradually coming down.

If the same situation continues, it is difficult for the government to release water into Nagarjunasagar canal for irrigation during this kharif. If they cultivate paddy, they will suffer due to lack of sufficient water.

Meanwhile, the farmers have to cultivate the paddy by August third week. But there is no sufficient water. Present water in the Nagarjunasagar Dam would meet drinking water needs.

For paddy sowing, there is no sufficient time. Taking this into consideration, the government is encouraging ID crops. While required rain fall by July end is 22.19 cms, so far 20.06 cms rain fall registered in the district.

Guntur District Collector Kona Sasidhar said: “We will encourage irrigated dry crop under NS right canal ayacut area of Guntur district, because there is no sufficient water in the Nagarjunasagar Dam this year to release water for paddy in kharif. We will release water for ID crops and drinking water soon”.

Joint director of agriculture department M Vijaya Bharati said: “We will encourage ID crop under NS right canal ayacut area in Guntur district. Generally, the farmers will cultivate chillies while some others will cultivate paddy with borewell water in Gurajala and Rentachintala. This is fourth year a row, there is no paddy in NS canal ayacut area of Guntur district. We have sent a report to the government”.

NS canal superintending engineer Ch P.Ganga Raju said: "There is no sufficient water for paddy under NS right canal ayaucut area of 11.15 acres of Guntur and Prakasam districts during the kharif season. We will release water for ID crops. At present no inflows into Nagarjunasagar Dam”.

A farmer T.Krishnaiah of Vinukona said: “We have to irrigate ID crops. The farmer, who cultivated chillies during the last year, suffered losses due to falling of prices”.

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