Kharif operations have begun across the district with Cauvery waters being discharged into canals.
The Department of Agriculture has fixed a target of 2,01,869 hectares of kharif cultivation and the farming community has completed the sowing activities on of 23,000 hectares as on Monday.
The department has set a target of sowing paddy on 59,650 hectares, ragi on 63,365 hectares, and sugarcane on 30,605 hectares for the current season, M.N. Rajasulochana, Joint Director, Agriculture Department, told The Hindu.
The target for foodgrains in the district for the current season is 1,66,519 hectares, while oil seeds is 8,708 hectares, said the official.
Heavy rains lashed all the seven taluks — Mandya, Maddur, Malavalli, Pandavapura, Srirangapatna, K.R. Pet, and Nagamanagala — on many occasions since the end of May, allowing farmers to prepare their lands. They have also completed de-weeding works across the district.
The Visvesvaraya canal, Chikka Devaraya Canal, Virija canal, Bangara Doddi canal, Right Bank Low Level (RBLL) and Left Bank Low Level (LBLL) are some of the major canals that have been irrigating the lands, and the department has been discharging water from the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) for the past few days.
According to Ms. Rajasulochana, there is no dearth of seeds and fertilizers in the district. “We have taken all measures to supply seeds to the farmers,” she said.