BENGALURU: Excess rainfall and erratic showers during the Southwest Monsoon have wreaked havoc in parts of South Karnataka and North Karnataka respectively. According to preliminary estimates by Agriculture and Horticulture departments, more than 10 lakh hectares of crops have been affected in these regions, either due to dry spell or excess showers.
Though a joint survey is yet to be completed to assess the exact amount of crop loss, as many as 9.8 lakh hectares of agricultural crop have been affected. In Malnad districts, crops in around 40,000 hectares have been lost. The actual area affected by crop loss will increase or decrease depending on the amount of rainfall received at the end of August, following which the actual crop loss will be tabulated.
Meanwhile, demand for a Permanent Relief Fund has been proposed by farmer organisations in the state budget so as to effectively tide over the crisis faced by the agrarian community. The torrential downpour that lasted for a week from around August 14-15 in the Malnad region, affected more than 35,000 hectares of pepper, coffee, cardamom and other crops in the region. As per estimates of the horticulture department, pepper was affected the most, followed by coffee, arecanut, ginger and other crops. “Till date, pepper crop has been lost in 11,000 hectares in Malnad region - where it is primarily grown - and the area is expected to increase in the coming days,” an official of Horticulture department told Express.
Of the districts in Malnad region, Kodagu has been the worst hit, followed by Chikkamagaluru and Udupi districts. In these districts, heavy rains have taken a toll on more than 5,000 hectares of agricultural crops.
In 13 districts of North Karnataka, lack of rainfall has affected a larger area of crops as compared to the losses suffered due to excess rainfall. As of August 18, 9.7 lakh hectares of agricultural crop have been affected by dry spell. Agriculture department officials hope that the area affected will reduce if North Karnataka receives good spells of rainfall before August 31. However, forecasts have indicated little rainfall for the region for the next five days.