Fifty per cent of cereal crops sown during the 2016 kharif season have been impacted by the dry spell during the southwest monsoon in Karnataka.
Crops such as paddy, jowar, ragi, maize, bajra, and minor millets sown on 16.12 lakh hectares were affected. Cereal crops were sown on 32.46 lakh hectares against the target of 34.14 lakh hectares.
Poor crop coverage
Poor inflows into reservoirs had prompted Karnataka to stop releasing water for irrigation from August for water-intensive crops such as paddy in the command areas of Cauvery, according to an official of the Agriculture Department. Inadequate rain in Malnad districts and the command area of Cauvery river resulted in poor progress in area coverage of paddy in Mysuru, Mandya, Chamarajanagar, Hassan, Chikkamagaluru, and Tumakuru districts. Deficient rain in Shivamogga and Kodagu also caused setback in coverage of paddy.
Farmers were advised to take up semi-dry crops such as minor millets and horse gram in place of high water-intensive crops such as paddy and sugarcane in view of the deficient rain and poor water storage in reservoirs. But, deficient rainfall during August and September in southern districts barred farmers to take up sowing, according to the department.
