BENGALURU: Amidst the pandemic and the havoc caused by Cyclone Tauktae, farmers in the state may have something to look forward to. With just weeks left for the monsoon to arrive, meteorologists say that most of Karnataka will receive normal to above normal rainfall while some regions will get normal or below normal rainfall. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said that the South-West monsoon will hit Kerala by June 1 and is expected to enter Karnataka by the first week of June. Speaking to TNIE, former director, Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre and senior consultant G S Srinivasa Reddy said as per the IMD prediction, this monsoon Karnataka will get good rain.
‘Distribution of monsoon rain to be uniform’
Distribution will be uniform and better than previous years, and IMD will release more accurate reports next week, Srinivasa Reddy said. Prof M B Rajegowda, agrometeorologist, who was earlier with University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru, said once the cyclonic clouds clear, the South-West monsoon clouds will set in. “This time, pre-monsoon showers have been deficit and we are hoping for better rain during monsoon.” Prof Gowda suggested that farmers can go for long-term crops like paddy, sugarcane, red gram and other pulses.
For crops like ragi and paddy, farmers can prolong harvest to 120 days, instead of 90 days, for higher yield and better incomes, he said. However, agriculture department officials, pointing to the increase in sowing area, are apprehensive about flooding as above-normal rainfall is predicted in some places. Reddy suggested that farmers can go in for changes in cropping patterns which can withstand flooding. “Going by the pattern, flooding occurs at some point during the monsoon,” he said.