Sowing activities have started gathering momentum in Udupi district now after the onset of monsoon got delayed by a fortnight. Paddy is the chief kharif crop in the district.
The district has received less than normal rainfall in June this year.
The normal rainfall from January 1 to June 21 in the district is 911.9 mm. But, this year, rainfall received till June 21 is 409.92 mm. Last year, rainfall received till June 21 was 1252.47 mm.
The Department of Agriculture has set a target of 39,000 hectares (ha) for sowing paddy (36,000 ha during kharif) this year. After the onset of monsoon, paddy has been sowed in 202 hectares of land in the district.
Of the 2,239 quintals of different types of seeds available with the department, including MO 4, MO 16, MTU 1001, Jyoti and Jaya, 1,928 quintals have been distributed among farmers at a subsidised rate.
The subsidy per kg of seeds for general farmers is ₹ 8, while it is ₹ 12 for farmers belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
As much as 749 tonnes of fertilizers have been distributed to farmers, while 1,004 tonnes are available in stock.
There are seven farmers custom hire service centres (Krishi Yantradhare) in seven out of the nine hoblis in the district in Byndoor, Kundapur, Karkala, Ajekar, Kaup, Brahmavar and Kota.
“In addition to these, two new centres, Vandse and Udupi, have been started this year,” Satish, Technical Officer, Agriculture Department, told The Hindu .
Farmers could hire various agricultural equipment, including paddy transplanters and power tillers, at cheap rates. Six of these centres are run by private agencies and three by non-governmental organisations.
At these centres, farmers could hire equipment for sowing, ploughing and other farm operations at cheap rates.
Equipment operators from these outlets would come with the equipment and use them in the fields. The availability of these equipment will help reduce the dependence of farmers on labour, which is both scarce and costly.
Last year, the target set by the department for sowing paddy (both kharif and rabi together) was 40,000 hectares, and the achievement was 39,158 hectares. The production of paddy in the district last year was 1.78 lakh tonnes. This year, the target for production is 1.75 lakh tonnes.
