Nizamabad: Despite the El Niño effect, water levels in the decades-old Nizamsagar project in Nizamabad district have reached 1,400.32 feet, against the full reservoir level (FRL) of 1,405 feet, as of Friday. Of its 17.802 tmc gross storage capacity, the project currently holds 11.701 tmc of water. Several water tanks in the district also have substantial quantities of water.
The availability of water has encouraged farmers to cultivate paddy on 98 per cent of the agricultural land under the Nizamsagar project ayacut in Banswada, Bodhan, Nizamabad, Kamareddy and Armoor areas. Overall, paddy has been cultivated on 7.50 lakh acres.
Significantly, some farmers in the Nizamsagar ayacut have already begun harvesting their crop. Traders from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra have started visiting the ayacut areas to purchase paddy at the earliest. Traders are offering farmers 3,000 per quintal at the field level.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, K. Nagaraju, a farmer from Jakora village in Varni mandal, said the state government was offering 2,961 per quintal for Grade A paddy, including a 500 bonus.
While farmers in several parts of Telangana have faced the adverse effects of El Niño, those in Nizamabad and Kamareddy districts are in a jubilant mood over the availability of water and remunerative prices.
Agriculture department officials expect around 15 lakh quintals of paddy to arrive in the undivided Nizamabad district. The price of Grade A paddy could touch 3,500 per quintal soon, they said. Deficient rainfall in other districts is expected to result in lower paddy arrivals.
Of Telangana’s 33 districts, only 16 have received normal rainfall. Paddy was cultivated on 67.30 lakh acres in the state during the last Kharif season, while the area under the crop has declined to 55.89 lakh acres this season.
Nizamsagar project assistant executive engineer Saketh said around 2,000 cusecs of water was being released into the main canal from the project. The release is helping paddy farmers in the ayacut, he said.