The Hindu

• 70 per cent of fields are covered with transplanted saplings
• Low-lying fields have been cultivated with hardy varieties such as Jaya and MO4
• Dakshina Kannada has 35,000 hectares of land under kharif cultivation
• For the first time the extent of uncultivated dry land has come down by 50 per cent

Mangalore, Jun 26: The monsoon has revived in the district and agricultural operations are in full swing.

According to sources in the Agriculture Department, about 70 per cent of the fields in the district are covered with transplanted saplings.

Low-lying fields, which are usually waterlogged during the monsoon, have been cultivated with hardy varieties such as Jaya and MO4. Owing to good rain, the district will see 100 per cent coverage for kharif crop, which will increase yield by 20 per cent, experts have said.

Dakshina Kannada has 35,000 hectares of land under kharif cultivation, and for the first time a variety of seeds are being used. Mangalore taluk has 12,700 hectares of land under kharif cultivation, followed by Bantwal with 9,500 hectares, Belthangady with 8,375 hectares, Puttur with 3,940 hectares and Sullia with 485 hectares.

For the first time the extent of uncultivated dry land has come down by 50 per cent. Many farmers settled in Mumbai and West Asia have returned to the district to take up cultivation. About 12 per cent of the 35,000 hectares are upland fields which receive ground water only in the first week of July.

However, this year upland fields have received ground water early which has helped farmers to take up kharif cultivation, sources in the department said.

The use of MO4, Jaya, Jyothi and MTU 1001 varieties have brightened the prospects of a good yield this year. The Jaya and MO4 varieties, which have been developed by the N.G. Ranga Institute of Agriculture in Andhra Pradesh, have proved popular among farmers in Dakshina Kannada. Two other varieties being cultivated are CTH1, also called Mukti, and Rasi.