Farmers making preparations to sow paddy

Pithapuram (East Godavari): The farmers have been gearing up to raise paddy seedlings in bed with the district experiencing widespread rains for the past several days.

The agriculture department officials have been making hectic efforts to make available paddy seeds needed to the farmers.

The district targeted to raise paddy in 2.50lakh hectares during the kharif. However, normally paddy is cultivated in not more than 2.33 lakh hectares in the district in spite of the target.

The agriculture department officials estimate that at least 1.08 lakh quintals paddy seeds are needed in the district. Of the total requirement, 25 to30 per cent of the seeds come from farmers. The state government has kept 27.292 quintals of seeds ready for supplying to farmers on subsidy. In addition, private dealers have kept seeds ready with them.

The agriculture department is supplying the seeds to farmers through the Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies. The subsidy component is Rs 5 for every kg of seeds.

Agriculture assistant director Padmasri called upon the farmers to approach the PACS along with their pattadar passbook and tenant farmer identity cards to get the seeds on subsidy.

Meanwhile, the farmers have readied the land for sowing the seedlings once there is respite from the rains.

The agriculture department had already supplied micronutrients to the farmers on subsidy. The farmers applied the micronutrients like boran, gypsum, zinc and so on to the soil at the time of tilling the land. Padmasri cautioned the farmers to purify the seeds before sowing the seeds.