The impact of drought and lack of moisture has extended to the Rabi season bringing to a halt agricultural activities in Mysuru district.
Sowing of crops like cow pea, horse gram, maize, and Bengal gram has been hit owing to failure of rain. In view of the persistent drought in the region, farmers, who otherwise would sown different crops by this time, are still languishing under the impact of the failure of the Kharif crops. However, a few farmers have cultivated some of the crops on a small swathe of land in the district in anticipation of showers or release of water from the reservoir.
Horse gram was cultivated on over 24,010 hectares in 2015-16, field beans in 7,878 ha, cow pea on 5,787 ha, ragi on 13,725 ha, and maize on 4,157 ha. This year cultivation had reduced by 75 per cent.
Somasundra, Joint Director of Agriculture, and Nagendra, agriculture officer, told The Hindu that shortfall in the area of cultivation would result in decline in food production this year. Most of the lands had become dry and there is no adequate moisture in the soil to sustain growth of even less water intensive crops, they said.
Except for a few farmers who had their own borewells to irrigate lands, no farmer had taken up any agricultural activity in the district, they said, adding that ragi, horse gram, field beans, and Bengal gram are being cultivated in certain areas with assured irrigation by way of borewells.
Erratic power supply had contributed to farmers’ misery as they are unable to irrigate crops despite having borewells. The three-phase power supply to rural places only for a couple of hours, which was inadequate for irrigation purpose.
Agricultural Department officials say farmers may not be able to grow crops even during summer season. Most lands in the district had become completely dry, they said.
