Crop area doubles in Nirmal district

Good rainfall filled up tanks, recharged groundwater in the district

Green spread: A mother and son duo fetching paddy plants for transplant in Nirmal district.

Crop area during the current rabi season has more than doubled in Nirmal district thanks to last monsoon’s good rainfall. The rainy season, which saw about 5 % excess rainfall, filled up tanks and projects besides recharging the ground water across the district.

“Against a normal area of 72,000 acres in rabi season, we have nearly 1.6 lakh acres under different crops so far this season,” Nirmal District Agriculture Officer K. Gangaram said. “All the borewells are active as local tanks have water in them,” he added.

High water table

Groundwater in the district is available at 8.45 metres on an average for the month of February against the 7.52 metres recorded in January this year. Last year, water level stood at 14.35 metres in February and was 11.65 metres in the same month in 2015.

Paddy transplantation has seen a quantum jump this season covering an area of nearly 57,000 acres against a normal of 24,000 acres. The mandals where paddy transplantation is in full swing are Dilawarpur, Nirmal, Laxmanchanda, Mamda, Khanapur, Nirmal and Sarangapur.

Projects are full

Maize is the other major crop which is being cultivated in about 45,000 acres as against a normal area of 16,440 acres. Similarly, bengalgram has been sown in 15,533 acres against a normal of 8,177 acres but jowar has seen a decline in terms of cultivated area having been sown in only 4,826 acres, the normal area being 9,500 acres.

The SRSP, which irrigates about 40,000 acres in the district through the 47 km long Saraswathi canal is full and paddy farmers look to a good crop season ahead. Similarly, Kadem project has the reservoir level pegged at 686.225 ft against a full reservoir level of 700 ft.

Swarna project in Sarangapur mandal and Sadarmat in Khanapur mandal are also full. Both these facilities irrigate some 7,000 acres each.