MANGALORE: With the monsoon active in Dakshina Kannada, farmers are busy tilling their land for sowing and transplanting paddy.

The monsoon set in a little sooner than expected. It caught farmers of the district unawares as the India Meteorology Department had predicted the onset of monsoon only after June 5.

Khariff crop

In Dakshina Kannada, khariff crop is cultivated on 35,000 hectares of land.

Mangalore taluk has 12,700 hectares, followed by Buntwal 9,500 hectares, Belthangady 8,375 hectares, Puttur 3,940 hectares and Sullia 485 hectares. The difference in area between Sullia and other taluks is because of the preference of people of the taluk for horticultural and plantation crops.

The 1971 figures indicated that Sullia had nearly 2,800 hectares under paddy cultivation.

Fragmentation

The district has been affected by land fragmentation as the family system of farmers could not support large holdings.

According to the revenue land holding pattern, about 80 per cent are either small or medium farmers and there are no big farmers in the district.

About 20 per cent of the farmland has been left uncultivated owing to high cultivation costs.

Subsidy

Though the Government has announced substantial subsidy for purchase of seeds, farmers exchange seeds between themselves.

According to the statistics at the Raitha Samparka Kendra here, nearly 70 per cent of farmers exchange seeds. This year, the Government has announced a higher subsidy for small and medium farmers.

Paddy seeds

They will get 10 per cent subsidy on paddy seeds such as MO4, Jaya, Jyothi and MTU 1001.

Jaya and MO4, which have been developed by N.G. Ranga Institute of Agriculture in Andhra Pradesh, have been well accepted by farmers here. However, some of them miss Nethravati which has vanished from Dakshina Kannada.

Two other varieties that are still being cultivated are CTH1, also popular as Mukti, and Rasi.

Modern equipment

According to sources in the Agriculture Department, the Government will introduce some modern farming components in Dakshina Kannada.

Statistics officer Palichandra told The Hindu that equipment such as power reaper, thresher, power weeder, chaff cutter and tractor-mounted plant protecting machinery would be available on subsidy.

Scheme

The subsidised tiller and tractor scheme that was introduced last year by the Government in the State would be continued with 50 per cent subsidy, he said.

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