ONGOLE: With the district receiving copious rains, thanks to the active Southwest monsoon, farmers are busy taking up agriculture operations in the current Kharif season. Since a few days from Friday, under the influence of the low-pressure area formed in the Bay of Bengal, it has been raining continuously, exceeding the normal average rainfall in the district. The average rainfall in July is 89.7 mm, but this year 93.1 mm rain has been recorded, 4 mm more than the average rainfall. On July 22, 4.9 mm rainfall was recorded and on July 23, 13.7 mm.
Komarolu Mandal received 77 mm rainfall on Tuesday, Karamchedu 68.4 mm and Marripudi 63.2 mm, Giddaluru 45.2 mm, Chirala 36.2 mm, Donakonda 30.8 mm, Kurichedu 30 mm and Inkollu 22 mm.
As many as 47 out of the total 56 mandals in the district witnessed rain on Tuesday. On an average, around 2.26 lakh hectares of land comes under cultivation during Kharif season in the district. This includes 30,000 to 35,000 hectares of paddy crop. As this season has witnessed widespread rainfall across the district, the district agriculture department officials expressed their happiness.
“Farmers are happy with water availability for crops. We have made seeds, fertilisers and pesticide available for the farmers in the district. Generally, farmers will procure seeds themselves during the Kharif season. We are also ready to provide around 3,000 tonnes of pulses seeds to them. Red gram, black gram and other seeds are available in the district,” P V Srirama Murthy, Joint Director of Agriculture told TNIE.