Officials encourage millet cultivation in East Godavari

Kakinada: Following the directive of Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy, the Agriculture department officials are making alternative arrangements to encourage cultivation of millets instead of paddy due to unavailability of sufficient water in East Godavari district.

Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has made it clear that the farmers should not go for paddy. Generally, the paddy is cultivated in an extent of 1,74,906 hectares under tube wells and 64,000 hectares under open wells in the district. Since there is a shortage of water sources during the Rabi crop, as per the instructions of the CM the Agriculture officials are discouraging paddy crop under the bore wells in Rabi 2022 season.

The farmers in the upland areas pointed out that though there is shortage of water in River Godavari, the government has decided to supply water to the entire crop in Eastern delta and central delta areas in the district.

Though there is no sufficient availability of water in Godavari, the Irrigation Advisory Board has resolved that the water would be supplied to the entire ayacut to delta area for second crop with efficient water management.

The Agriculture department has suggested the farmers to cultivate alternative crops like maize, jowar, blackg gram, green gram and vegetables.

The officials said that the government will give 30 percent subsidy to black gram and other crops in plain areas and a 90 per cent subsidy in tribal areas in the district.

Irrigation Superintendent Engineer B Rambabu said that 89.22 TMC water for 4.36 lakh acres in East Godavari and 4.60 lakh acres in West Godavari is needed for second crop, but at present there is only 61.762 TMC water available which is sufficient to only 74.41 per cent of ayacut.

Agriculture Minister Kurasala Kannababu said that due to previous experiences, the water would be supplied with efficient water management and get water from other reservoirs for the second crop and the meeting also suggested that the farmers should not go for 'Bondalu' variety of paddy and they can go for alternative seed that 1,121 variety of paddy which comes to yield within 120 days.

He said that the water will be given to the farmers for the second crop from December 15 and closed the canals between April 15 and 20. Upland, tail-end and other areas where water is not available, the farmers should go for alternative crops.

He said that a special committee would be formed to monitor the water management for the ayacut. He said that water would be supplied to Pithapuram Branch Canal from Yeleru Reservoir.