CHITTOOR: The rain under the influence of the Nada cyclone in Chittoor district has brought little relief to farmers, particularly the groundnut growers, in the western mandals. Though the two-day spell ending Saturday night recorded an average rainfall of 22 mm in the district, the tail-end areas are still facing a deficit.
The rainfall was considerably felt in the eastern mandals in Nagari, Srikalahasti and Satyavedu Assembly constituencies due to the proximity to the Bay of Bengal while the western side witnessed slight to moderate drizzling. In Madanapalle division, the farmers are worried about the prospects of the rabi season ahead.
Joint Director (Agriculture) N. Vijay Kumar said that even a single drop of rain would be of great use to Chittoor district which is witnessing a "deficit" rainfall. “As against the regular sowing of groundnut in over 45,000 hectares in the district, the present area of cultivation of this important crop fell to a meagre 5,000 hectares. We are pinning hopes on the north-east spell expected soon," he said.
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The Agriculture Department had distributed 400 quintal of groundnut seeds to farmers this season.