Rajahmundry, Aug 10th: Following deficit rainfall in both East and West Godavari districts, farmers are facing a grave situation for raising the main crop, paddy and other horticulture and commercial crops. The district received an average rainfall of 222.5mm from June 1 to August I against the normal rainfall of 419.6 mm, showing nearly 47 per cent deficit rainfall in the district.

Paddy crop is being raised in about 2, 40 lakh acres for the kharif season in the district and so far its transplantation was registered at 85 percent in delta areas and 55 percent in the entire district. Thought the contingency option to raise pulses was not announced by the agriculture authorities so far, farmers were advised to take up cultivation of red gram, green gram and black gram. Most of the farmer’s complaint that their paddy nurseries are getting dried up for want of water.

In areas where crops are raised with assured irrigation, the supply of water is also receding day-by-day as canals are not getting adequate supply of water from the sources. The situation is not much better with horticulture crops like oil palm, coconut and vegetable either. Raising vegetable nurseries is also getting delayed for want of water and it is likely that their prices will again shoot up against the increasing demand.