Khammam: Plentiful rains in the Western Ghats have turned out to be a boon to Khammam district. Paddy cultivation is more than average in 11 mandals under the Nagarjunasagar project left canal ayacut as well as other medium and minor water sources.
The average cultivation of paddy in the district is 59,361 hectares.
Farmers planted saplings in 64,108 hectares, which is 108 per cent. It is expected that paddy cultivation may touch 113 per cent in the present kharif as the NSP left canal water is reaching branch canals.
Nagarjunasagar reservoir is full of water and officials are releasing water to the left canal. Many reservoirs like Palair, Lankasagar and Wyra are filled with NSP water.
Tirumalayapalem mandal, which is known as a drought hit mandal, has surprised many with record level paddy cultivation. Farmers raised the crop over 3,377 hectares against an average 1,966 hectares. Mandals like Kusumanchi, Nelakondapalli, Madhira, Vemsoor, Sattupalli, Penuballi, Kallur and Tallada witnessed more than the average cultivation of paddy.
In Kallur, paddy is raised over 9,450 hectares against 7,718 hectares earlier and it is 6,694 hectares against 4,438 in Tallada mandal.
New projects like the Bhakta Ramadas lift irrigation project and fillingvarious tanks are also reasons for increasing paddy cultivation.
