BENGALURU: With the first two months of the southwest monsoon sowing period over, rainfall deficiency has severely affected sowing across Karnataka. With this, the state is staring at an initial estimated loss of at least 50 lakh tonne of foodgrain production. If the deficit rainfall continues even this month, food production losses will increase further.
Officials and agriculture experts said Karnataka has set an annual foodgrain production target of around 150 lakh tonne. However, as of the first week of August, the initial assessment suggests that production could fall by around 50 lakh tonne owing to poor monsoon, resulting in a potential loss of nearly 30% of the target. “If the rainfall deficit continues through August, the production loss could increase to as much as 75 lakh tonne of foodgrains,” said AB Patil, president, Institute of Agricultural Technologists and former agriculture adviser to the State Government.
Among the major crops expected to be affected are maize, cotton, jowar, and ragi. He also pointed out that the El Niño effect is expected to continue until January 2027, leading to more heatwaves and a rise in temperature of up to 2 degrees Celsius. “This, in turn, will increase evaporation and reduce soil moisture. This will worsen drought conditions. However, there is a possibility that a depression in the Bay of Bengal may bring rains over Karnataka in the next one or two months, and that may to some extent improve the crop stand,” he said.
Former KSNDMC director Srinivas Reddy said paddy production is likely to be severely affected this year due to poor rainfall. He pointed out that there was little or no inflow into major reservoirs in the state during June and July.
Water for irrigation has still not been released from the Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) and Tungabhadra reservoirs. With rainfall remaining deficient and drought conditions seen, the government’s first priority has been ensuring drinking water, he said.
“Normally, paddy sowing would have been completed in most parts of the state by June and July. But this year, that has not happened,” Reddy said. He noted that paddy requires significantly more water than crops such as ragi. “A paddy crop requires around 1200 to 1500 mm of water over a three-month crop cycle, whereas ragi requires around 300 mm,” he explained.
A senior Agriculture Department official said the state is anticipating a severe drought, which is likely to have a significant impact on foodgrain production. “We will get a clear picture by the end of August. We expect the production loss could cross 60% of the annual target of 150 lakh tonne,” the official said. The official said at present, they do not have an agriculture minister. However, in the absence of an agriculture minister, Chief Minister
DK Shivakumar has directed district in-charge ministers to visit the fields and assess the extent of crop damage.