Despite heavy rains and cyclones lashing the district this year, Kurnool has recorded an increase in paddy production compared to last year. Adequate water released from KC Canal, Srisailam reservoir and Tungabhadra dam has facilitated this increase, agriculture officials said.

Nearly 64.77 lakh tonnes of paddy was harvested during kharif season. The official expected 28 lakh tones for rabi season. Almost 95 percent of the total production of the BPT 5204 (Kurnool Sona Masoori) variety has been procured to be stored in the district. The early release of irrigation water from various projects paved the way for a good harvest.

Farmers, especially in Nandyal, Allagadda and Atmakur taluks, are on cloud nine despite last minute obstacles during the season. Crops suffered minor damage in July and November because of monsoon rains and cyclones. However, the agriculture department stepped in and provided valuable inputs to farmers and advised them to make use of fertilizer and urea, agriculture joint director D Thakur Naik told Express.

The rice variety Kurnool Sona (BPT 5204) Masoori is soon likely to be in more supply, he added. Sona Masoori is the preferred variety for rice eaters in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Its major production centres are Kurnool, Nizamabad, Nellore and Guntur and the variety produced in Kurnool is considered to be the best.

Kurnool Sona Masoori has a unique taste that is not matched by rice from any other province. “Everyone is crazy about Sona Masoori because of the name it has earned and not because equally good varieties are not available,” technical agriculture officer Shashidhar Reddy said.

Sona Masoori cultivation during the just-ended kharif season in Kurnool increased to nearly 10,000 hectares as against the normal 86,939 hectares.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by K Madhu Sudhakar – Kurnool / December 23rd, 2013