Southern States - Karnataka   

Rain helps Hassan farmers start sowing

By Our Staff Correspondent

HASSAN JUNE 25. Hassan District has been receiving monsoon showers for the last few days, and the rainfall has helped farmers take up agricultural work to a small extent in the rain-fed areas. The district received moderate rainfall for three days from Friday. While Sakleshpur received the highest average rainfall of 48 mm, Arsikere recorded the lowest of 11 mm. The Hemavati Reservoir recorded an inflow of 3,600 cusecs of water and an outflow of 100 cusecs. The water in the reservoir stood at 2,858.26 ft as against 2,860.50 ft last year. The reservoir, which has a capacity to store 37 tmcft of water, has a storage of 3.62 tmcft.

The delay in the arrival of the monsoon has affected sowing. Tthough the target for the year is 2.27 lakh hectares, only 5,500 hectares has been covered.

According to senior officials in the Agriculture Department, the district has achieved only 2.5 per cent of sowing, which indicates that the yield this year might be an all-time low. It will be difficult to opt a second crop this Kharif as farmers harvested the first crop in May. They observe that with the expiry of the sowing season for tobacco, black gram, green gram, sesamum, groundnut, and cotton, it will be a futile attempt to sow these crops if there is rainfall in the coming days. However, farmers can grow jowar and sunflower.

The impact of the delayed monsoon is high on tobacco and potato, considered to be the major commercial crops in the district. Both the crops were sown only in an area of 10 per cent of the target. While tobacco is sown in 660 hectares of land as against a targeted area of 3,500 hectares, potato is sown in 200 hectares of land against the targeted area of 25,000 hectares. With the monsoon becoming active in the district, there is a possibility of increase in the sowing area.

Though agricultural experts observe that sowing potato will be risky, sowing operations for potato have gained momentum in the district. Though it is a fact that the dry spell affects the crop, farmers have taken a risk by starting sowing operations.

As there was no sign of pre-monsoon showers in the early part of the year, potato growers decided against buying tubers. Potato tubers started to rot in the godowns of the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee Yard. Traders, who were depressed with the development, are now relieved as farmers are buying tubers. According to H.D.Gopal, Vice-President of the APMC Traders' Association, nearly 100 loads of tubers were sold in the last few days. There is a marginal increase in the price of tuber. Traders are now selling fresh stocks that arrived from Punjab, at Rs.700 to Rs.800, and have sought additional stocks. According to an estimate, traders have sold nearly 500 loads of tubers so far.

According to experts, as there has been rain in potato-growing areas such as Hubli and Belgaum, there is a demand for tubers in these areas. However, there is a risk factor. Earlier, farmers in Hassan used to harvest potato 15 days earlier than those in Belgaum and Hubli. This time, farmers in both these areas may be forced to harvest potato simultaneously, which may result in a fall in price. However, experts are apprehensive of the quality of yield.

Encouraged by showers in the last few days, farmers have decided to risk themselves by sowing potato tubers, and the weak monsoon has also helped them in preparing land for sowing. Sowing for various crops in the district as against the targeted areas is as follows: Paddy-120 hectares (targeted area: 600 hectares), Jowar-125 hectares (2,000 hectares), black gram-257 hectares (1,000 hectares), cowpea-1,500 hectares (5,000 hectares), green gram-400 hectares (2,500 hectares), groundnut-70 hectares (3,000 hectares), sesamum-1,100 hectares (6,000 hectares), sunflower-150 hectares (9,000 hectares), castor-100 hectares (4,000 hectares) and cotton-40 hectares (2,500 hectares). It is likely that the district may get a good ragi yield as it is drought resistant.

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