NIZIMABAD:Though the farmers in Nizamabad are awaiting more rains, agricultural activity is in full swing in the district. Around 74 per cent of the farmlands have already been sown. With signs of good monsoon ahead and Sriram Sagar project receiving good inflow, the smiles are back on the faces of the farming community.
The rains have brought the much-needed relief to the farming community and the enthusiasm is evident from the extent of fields where farming activities have been taken up. The area under cultivation is higher than the that of the past two years.
Agriculture department joint director (JDA) K Narasimha said that crop cultivation other than paddy has met the department’s expectation. “Now reservoirs and local tanks are receiving good inflow. However, the ground water level is yet to improve and it will take some time for the farmers to intensify agricultural activity,” he added.
Nizamabad district irrigation superintending engineer (SE) C Gangadhar said that the tanks, which were dry for the last two years, are brimming. Major and medium irrigation projects are yet to receive water. It is beacuse of these factors that farmers are waiting for more rains to start sowing paddy seed.
Sri Ram Sagar Project (SRSP) has received 12 tmc of water as against its storage capacity of 90 tmcft. “We can release water for farming activity only if the water level crosses 60 tmcft mark,” said SRSP SE T Satyanarayana.
Paddy seeds have been sown in 18,079 hectares though the department had prepared an action plan to bring 1.50 lakh hectares under paddy cultivation this year. This situation arised due to the lack of water in project and low ground water level in several areas. However, jowar and maize cultivation has already started and 90 per cent of area has witnessed sowing activity according to the action plan.