Deficit rainfall and non-availability of water for irrigated land is resulting in an agriculture crisis in Hassan. According to preliminary estimation by the Department of Agriculture, the crop in over 1.13 lakh hectares will be lost. The final figures might go up once the ground-level assessment is over. The total area covered this year was about 2.04 lakh ha.
A senior official in the Agriculture Department, on Monday, told The Hindu , “Our officers are still collecting data from the field. The preliminary estimates show that standing crop in 1.13 lakh ha will be lost. The loss in terms of money is yet to be assessed.” The district administration has instructed the Agriculture Department officers to assess the loss. The officers are expected to submit final report soon.
Almost all crops including paddy, ragi, maize, potato, ginger have suffered due to deficit rainfall. As per the reports of Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre, the normal rainfall expected in Hassan district in monsoon till Monday was 609.4 mm, however, the actual received is only 553.49. In the month of September (till Monday), the rainfall expected was 59.6 mm, but the actual was only 33.91 mm. The departure from normal in the current month is alone about 43 per cent.
The paddy growers were depending on the Hemavati reservoir. The water level in the reservoir went down drastically with the Supreme Court asking the State Government to release water. As on Monday, the water level in the reservoir stood at 2,874 ft against its capacity of 2922 ft. The amount of water available is only 07.664 tmc ft, of which the live storage is only 03.292 tmc ft.
Farmers are demanding compensation at the rate of at least Rs.50,000 per acres in the wake of crop loss. Political parties have also raised the similar demand. Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha has planned a protest in front of Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru on Wednesday in this regard. Rame Gowda, a farmer in Salagame Hobli in Hassan taluk, said the farmers in the Hobli were hoping that the government responds to the demand for compensation positively. “Rs. 50,000 per acre would not compensate the loss. The farmers have spent more than that amount per acre”, he added.
