The department is eyeing a target of cultivating paddy in 33,500 hectares during the upcomingkharif season even while the area under paddy in kharif season last year touched 31,498 hectares.
The pre-monsoon showers have added to their sense of optimism.
The targeted area under paddy cultivation has been fixed keeping in mind the gradual transition on part of farmers from cash to horticultural crops, says Honnappa Govinda Gowda, in-charge joint director of the department.
While Mangalore taluk accounts for 11,700 hectares of land under paddy cultivation, Bantwal taluk has 9,350 hectares, Belthangady 8,300 hectares, Puttur 3,150 hectares and Sullia least at 500 hectares.
The district has received an average of 234.40 mm of rainfall till May 23. This has buoyed the farmers in to taking up nursery activities and transplantation activities will commence with the arrival of monsoon. The department as on May 22 has distributed 41.75 quintals of paddy seeds to 109 farmers and has stock of 328.25 quintals of seeds on hand. Against the expected fertiliser demand of 18,000 tonnes for kharif season, the district has 8,100 tonnes stock.
The official said MO4 variety of paddy seeds are most sought after by farmers and was sown in 19,304 hectares last year followed by Kaje Jaya 4090 variety sown in 2,861 hectares. Likewise, Jyothi, Shakti and MTU 1001 varieties of seeds was sown in 2,410 hectares, 797 hectares and 176 hectares of land respectively, he said. The MO4 variety is preferred by farmers as it pertains to local staple of people preferring boiled rice, he points out.
With lack of farm hands preventing thrust to paddy cultivation in a big way, Govinda Gowda said the department is aggressively pushing the farm mechanization agenda by giving subsidy to farmers to purchase farm implements. Despite these problems, the district produced 86,485 tonnes of paddy in the last kharif season against target of 91,000 tonnes, he said, adding the department is providing all assistance to farmers through raitha samparka kendras.
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