Farmers who have raised paddy nurseries in Ballari district are in the doldrums this kharif season because of the non-release of water into the canals of the Tungabhadra dam.
For, the seedlings in their nurseries are overgrowing and may not be suitable for re-plantation if there is any further delay in taking up transplantation. Usually, between 30 and 45 days are required for seedlings to be transplanted.
Raising a paddy nursery prior to the commencement of the kharif season is normal in the Tungabhadra command area. These farmers, making use of borewells and the water flowing in the nallahs and river, develop and maintain the nurseries. Later, the seedlings will be sold to other paddy cultivators for replacement in in their fields, after water is let into the canals.
The cost of paddy seedlings ranges from ₹1,000 to ₹1,500 a cent (plot of 10x10 ft). Three cents of seedlings are required for one acre.
But this year, the area under nursery has come down for want of water. Owing to rain failure for the third year in succession, the Tungabhadra river and the nallahs have gone dry and the underground water table has depleted. Those farmers who were lucky and had access to water sources managed to raise nurseries. According to one estimate, the seedlings in the nurseries raised could cater to around 40,000 hectares of land. (The targeted area for paddy in the district is 77,850 ha).
But owing to the delay in releasing water from the dam, given the low storage, and the apprehensions about the availability of water going by the low inflow, farmers are hesitating to cultivate paddy.
According to sources in the Agricultural Department, at the end of the second week of August, paddy had been cultivated on around 9,000 ha, that too wherever farmers had alternative sources of water.
“For the first time, we are facing a crisis this year. Every year, seedlings sell like hotcakes. But this year, I feel I will be lucky to recover the input cost. For that to happen, water needs to be released into the canals at the earliest. Else, I am doomed,” said Fakirappa, who has a nursery in Kurgodu near Ballari.
Chilli nurseries
Similar is the case of farmers who have raised chilli nurseries. Compared to last year, when chili was cultivated on around 19,000 ha, so far transplantation of chilli has been completed on 3,900 ha or so. Nurseries have seedlings ready to cater to another 4,200 ha. According to farmers, the seedlings will be of use only if transplantation can be taken up within the next week.
