In view of deficient in rainfall in the district, which has been declared drought-hit, the district administration has come out with a contingency plan.
In a press release here on Friday, Deputy Commissioner Amlan Aditya Biswas stated that this year the average rainfall in the district was 20.33 mm as against the normal 65.34 mm, a deficit of 69 per cent.
As a result, kharif jowar could not be sown and farmers had been asked to follow an alternative cropping pattern. All the seven taluks in the district were in the northern dry zone category (zone 3). Sowing of suggested alternative crops could be taken up based on the rainfall during July and August, he said.
Toor, bajra and groundnut could be cultivated if rain occurred during the first fortnight of July. If it rained during second fortnight of July, toor, groundnut, castor, horse gram and minor millets (navane) could be cultivated.
Cotton, castor and sunflower could be cultivated during the first fortnight of August. Seeds of all these crops were in stock and could be obtained from raitha samparka kendras at subsidised rates.
The present stock fodder would last for 38 weeks. There were plans to open a goshala at Gudekote in Kudligi taluk, a goshala/fodder bank at Chornur village in Sandur taluk, fodder banks at Chilakanahatti and Mariyammanahalli in Hospet taluk, and at the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee yard in Hagari Bommanahalli. Arrangements had been made to issue job cards to interested persons from July 1 at all gram panchayats, under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, the release said.
