TIRUCHY: Nagapattinam district administration inaugurated direct sowing for samba paddy cultivation to encourage farmers to proceed confidently with direct seeding amid optimistic forecasts for the upcoming Northeast monsoon.

Inaugurating the initiative at Killukudi village near Kizhvelur in Nagapattinam, District Collector KJ Praveen Kumar said a target of 1.26 lakh acres of samba cultivation for the district has been fixed on par with the previous year.

“As per the availability of water, the farmers were advised to take up direct sowing of medium-term paddy this year and complete the direct sowing by September end. To satisfy the seed requirement, a stock of 2,248 MT certified paddy seeds is stocked in the district, and the farmers can avail 50% subsidy on seeds,” he noted.

A stock of 2,248 MT certified paddy seeds is stocked in the district centres, and the farmers can avail 50% subsidy on seeds, said Collector Praveen Kumar urea (2,161 MT), DAP (912 MT), potash (210 MT), mixed fertilisers (604 MT), liquid biofertilizers (17,852 litres) and micronutrient mixtures (24 MT) have been stocked in the district centres, which the farmers can order through Uzhavan App or through the web portals.

Pointing out that the water bodies have been desilted to utilise the entire discharge from the Grand Anicut for cultivation, he said Nagapattinam district, located at the tail end of the Cauvery and the Vennar, gets irrigation through as many as 15 branch rivers and several irrigation canals. All the water bodies are kept ready to ensure free flow of water, he noted.