Thanks to comfortable storage position in the Bhavani Sagar Dam and the spell of rainfall during summer, the Agriculture Department is hopeful that paddy could be cultivated in over 40,000 hectares in the forthcoming season.
It has been a decade since paddy was cultivated in excess of 40,000 hectares. Last year, too, the rainfall was favourable, and paddy was cultivated in 38,800 hectares. In the previous year, the area covered was in the range of 31,000 hectares.
Paddy remains to be the most preferred crop in the district, followed by sugarcane and maize, Agriculture Department sources said. This year, a corresponding increase was expected in the area of cultivation for other crops, officials said.
Meanwhile, farmers are hopeful that the Public Works Department will stick to its regular schedule for release of water for irrigation of ayacuts covered by the three main canals: Lower Bhavani Project, Thadapalli-Arakankottai and Kalingarayan canals, in view of the comfortable storage position in the Bhavani Sagar reservoir.
The release of water into the Kalingaryan canal is due later this month. Thanks to the heavy rainfall of 59 mm in the catchment area of the
reservoir until 8.00 a.m. on Wednesday, the level has risen up to 64.08 feet, pushing up the storage to 8.5 tmc. At the corresponding time last year, the level stood at 47.93 feet.
