KARIMNAGAR: Heavy and continuous rainfall over the past two days has brought relief to farmers in Karimnagar district, particularly paddy growers who had been waiting for rains after raising nurseries.
The district received its first spell of widespread rainfall since the onset of the southwest monsoon in the second week of June, raising hopes of improved agricultural activity after a prolonged dry spell.
Encouraged by the rainfall, many paddy farmers have begun transplantation despite the agriculture department advising them to opt for irrigated dry crops instead of paddy due to concerns over possible rainfall deficiency in the coming weeks under the influence of El Nino.
Officials said the recent rainfall was triggered by a deep depression over interior Odisha and West Bengal. They cautioned that rainfall could reduce after the current spell and advised farmers to diversify into less water-intensive crops.
The district has set a cultivation target of 3.50 lakh acres during the kharif season, including 2.79 lakh acres under paddy, 48,000 acres under cotton, 4,800 acres under maize and 15,000 acres under vegetables and pulses.
So far, paddy has been sown in about 1.49 lakh acres, leaving nearly 1.30 lakh acres yet to be covered. Except for cotton and paddy, cultivation of other crops has remained slow due to the rainfall deficit.
Despite the official advisory, many traditional paddy farmers had prepared nurseries in anticipation of rain. While farmers with assured irrigation have already begun transplantation, others have now started field operations following the recent showers.
Farmer M. Rajamallaiah said the rainfall had brought significant relief to paddy growers, enabling transplantation and providing sufficient moisture for the crop over the next month. He noted that the rains would also help recharge groundwater and improve water availability in agricultural wells and borewells, which could support irrigation if rainfall declines later in the season.
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