Around 35 per cent of paddy sowing was completed in Krishna district by mid-August due to lack of rainfall, which was 27 per cent deficient as against the district’s average of 435 mm for the period of June to mid-August.
‘The total extent of land under paddy cultivation is above 2.1 lakh hectares in kharif season in Krishna district, where nearly 90 per cent of sowing operations are expected to be completed by August end,” Agriculture Department Joint Director V. Narasimhulu told The Hindu . He added that delayed monsoon and poor rainfall impacted sowing operations which were in full swing across the district.
On the other hand, agriculture workers from Northern Andhra districts have already arrived in Krishna district for sowing operations. Farmers are relying on surface and ground water sources and diverting water to the fields through water pump sets in the absence of timely rainfall. However, the input cost on irrigation of the paddy fields has been doubled for small and tenant farmers who need to hire pumpsets.
