Torrential rain in the Mysuru-Mandya belt in the last 48 hours is expected to propel agricultural activities under rain-fed conditions and cultivation of short-duration crops in areas where land preparation began late.
The authorities now plan to encourage farmers in the irrigation command area also to opt for short-duration semi-arid crops like maize and ragi as the weather conditions are ideal for their growth.
The Department of Agriculture in Mysuru and Mandya have launched a drive to promote maize and ragi. Mysuru district received 14.1 mm of rain during the last 24 hours till 8.30 a.m. on Tuesday as against the normal of 2.6 mm, but the cumulative rainfall from June 1 to August 15 is 40% below normal. Mandya district recorded 30.1 mm rainfall on Monday night. Most parts of Mandya have also experienced heavy-to-very heavy rainfall for several days now. Showers have brought cheer to farmers and prompted them to take up agricultural activities, say officials at the Department of Agriculture.
Joint Director of Agriculture in Mysuru, Somasundar, said that since no water will be released for crops from the reservoirs, farmers in the command areas will be asked to take up cultivation of semi-arid crops for which the prevailing natural conditions are ideal and adequate.
The current spell of rain will also help standing crops like cotton, which was wilting due to lack of rain in the months of June and July. Nearly 47,000 hectares of land was brought under cotton cultivation in Mysuru district. Officials in Mandya said farmers have not raised paddy nurseries as the storage at the Krishnaraja Sagar reservoir is very low. Hence, not even a single hectare of paddy cultivation has been done as of Tuesday, as the storage at the Krishnaraja Sagar reservoir is very low.
The department had set a target of sowing various crops at 2.59 lakh hectares, including paddy at 60,067 hectares, during the current sowing season. Of them, sowing has been taken up only in around 20 % of the area.
Only at half-way mark
Despite a vigorous monsoon in parts of south interior Karnataka, there was not much rain in Kodagu, which is the catchment area for the Cauvery and its tributaries. Hence the current spell of rain will not significantly add to the inflow to the major reservoirs.
Besides, rain petered out during June and July. It is unlikely that rain in August can make up for deficient rainfall experienced during June and July.
According to the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) the water levels in the major reservoirs in the Cauvery basin are hovering below 50% of full storage capacity.
