GETTING READY: Agricultural operations for kharif pick up slowly in Krishna district with farmers raising paddy nurseries using ground water. — PHOTO: CH. VIJAYA BHASKAR

VIJAYAWADA: For the second consecutive year after a prolonged drought, agricultural operations have begun in Krishna delta. A growing sight in the paddy belt is watering of isolated and corner pockets in fields. During the next five to six days, nursery beds will sprout in full measure all across the delta ushering in the new kharif season.

Farm operations are picking up in the paddy-rich areas of Gudivada, Mudinepalli, Pamarru, Challapalli and Machiliapatnam areas. For Salla Raghavulu, the coming three weeks will be hectic with nurturing of a nursery at Vanapamula in Pedaparupudi mandal, located 55 kms east of Vijayawada. Raghavulu says that right now water is being drawn through bore well for the nursery. It will take 25 days to transplant the paddy saplings. He expects to water the entire field in the first week of July when canal water arrives.

Under the impact of summer heat, the parched fields suck in lots of water and farmers depend on both bore well and canal water to meet this requirement. When the canal water is supplied in the first week of July, the farmers will fill the separated blocks of fields with water and keep them fully wet for several days.

The paddy fields of Pedaparupudi mandal get water from the Ryves canal. Farmers say that they are not worried about the delayed release of water this year and can go about their field operations without much trouble. If transplantation begins in second and third weeks of July, the kharif season this year may be said to have kicked off in right time for the farmers.

At Veluturumilli in Gudlavalleru mandal, the villagers are busy preparing for the next season of paddy crop. As regards ZPTC and MPTC elections, Sarpanch Koppineni Subba Rao says, "Villagers are more bothered about the beginning of the kharif season. The ZPTC and MPTC elections do not attract much attention."

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