VIJAYAWADA: Slowly recovering from the heavy damage inflicted by Ogni cyclone, farmers in flood-hit areas in Krishna delta are making a comeback with hope on rabi crop. Preparations are on for `rabi' season even as the agriculture officials are working out various packages to provide seed and input subsidies to farmers.

As expected, the rabi season will begin from November 20 and the problem of submergence in 95 per cent of flood-hit areas has eased considerably. It is expected that the area under paddy cultivation may go up to 1.10 lakh hectares this rabi, as against the normal area of 44,000 hectares. Last year also, rabi paddy was overgrown in over one lakh hectares. In respect of areas where submergence still persists, farmers will be asked to go for paddy instead of black gram.

Fields still submerged

Agriculture Joint Director S. Jagadeeswara Reddy says that paddy fields in 10,000 hectares are still submerged as they are located between two drains.

The situation prevails in Movva, Challapalli, Ghantasala, Pedana, Gudur, Gudlavalleru and Gudivada areas.

These farmers usually go for black gram in rabi, but this time they will have to choose paddy in view of unrelenting standing water.

Mr. Reddy says that it has been estimated that Rs. 35 crores of input subsidy will be needed to help farmers who have lost their kharif crop in over 1.83 lakh hectares.

The proposals are prepared and detailed enumeration of losses is still on in affected areas. The area under black gram during this rabi is expected to reach 1.25 lakh hectares and the department has got an allotment of 26,000 quintals of seed for distribution to farmers at 50 per cent subsidy. With regard to paddy, the district has been allotted 49,250 quintals of seed for this rabi season.

Farmers are set to cultivate a variety of other crops this rabi and the area may reach 10,000 hectares each under green gram, maize and groundnut.

The area will reach 1,000 hectares under jowar. Cultivation of groundnut crop has begun much in advance in Nuzvid area and this is in an advanced stage.

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