BENGALURU: Delayed monsoon has slowed kharif sowing in Karnataka which could impact production. Agriculture Department officials said sowing has covered only around 20% of the targeted area. With the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting below-normal rainfall and sowing activities already affected, production is likely to face setbacks this season. Experts said a prolonged delay could force farmers to shift from longer-duration crops to shorter-duration varieties, that again could affect the yield.
As per data from the Agriculture Department, available with The New Indian Express, sowing has been completed on 5.86 lakh hectares of irrigated land against a target of 24.43 lakh hectares. In rainfed areas, it has been carried out on only 11.23 lakh hectares out of the targeted 59.68 lakh hectares. Overall, it is 17.09 lakh hectares out of the total kharif target of 84.10 lakh hectares, which is around 20%.
During the same period last year, sowing had crossed 40% and by July it had hit 61% of the targeted area. “We may not reach that level this year due to rainfall deficit in north-interior Karnataka, Malnad and coastal Karnataka,” a department official said. Some districts are at a lower level than the state average – Ballari (6%), Chitradurga (5%), Kalaburagi (9%), SHivamogga (7%), Vijayapura (4%) and many more.
Prof MB Rajegowda, agrometeorologist and former registrar, University of Agriculture Sciences, told TNIE that sowing has been less this year and hoped it would pickup. “We have told farmers to take up short or medium-duration crops and not long duration. It will lead to lesser production for sure, but if farmers opt for long-duration crops, they will face distress,’’ he warned.
“The rainfall pattern follows an eight-year cycle,” Rajegowda said .
Monsoon deficit: Farmers have to adopt short-term crops, says expert
“The first four years will be a positive cycle with good rain and the second four years will be negative. We are in the first year of the second four-year pattern.
We will have similar situation for next three years and farmers have to adopt short-term crops,’’ said Prof MB Rajegowda, agrometeorologist and former registrar, University of Agriculture Sciences. Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre data said, as on date, 137 hoblis across the state are facing large rain deficit, 323 hoblis deficit, 185 normal and remaining 205 excess and large excess rainfall in June. Of the 14 major reservoirs, gross capacity is 205.96 tmcft as against 356.94 tmcft last year.
GS Srinivasa Reddy, former director, KSNDMC, said there has been a deficit in pre-monsoon this year that has impacted inflows into dams. “When there is good pre-monsoon rain, the catchment area of dams are saturated and when it rains during monsoon, inflows will be higher. But this year, with deficit pre-monsoon rain, catchment areas have not been saturated and no inflows generated,’’ he said.