Sluggish monsoon hits area under paddy in Shivamogga

Owing to a sluggish monsoon this year, paddy has been cultivated in only about 70 per cent of the targeted area in the district so far.

To tackle the situation, the Agriculture Department has prepared a contingency plan to encourage farmers to take up cultivation of less water-intensive crops such as ragi, pulses and sunflower. The district has received 1,558 mm of rain till August 22 this year, as against the average of 1,741 mm. What is more, the average rain in the district in the peak monsoon months of June, July and August is 1,594 mm. This year, Shivamogga received only 1,076 mm in this period, leaving the total rain deficiency at 33 per cent.

Sowing of paddy in areas where cultivation is taken up using rain-fed method, preparation of nurseries of paddy seedlings and transplantation of the saplings in command areas of reservoirs are done during these three months. K. Madhusudan, Joint Director of the Department of Agriculture, told The Hindu that the target was to cultivate paddy in 1.06 lakh hectares this year in the district. So far, cultivation has taken place in 75,000 hectares only.

No water in lakes

In Udugani and Talagunda hoblis of Shikaripur taluk, paddy is grown by using the water stored in lakes. Owing to deficient rain, the lakes have not filled up. The farmers have raised paddy seedlings here but are unable to transplant them because of the water shortage. Transplantation has not taken place in many areas in Sagar, Hosanagar and Tirthahalli taluks, where paddy is cultivated in rain-fed method, locally known as makkigadde .

But as paddy transplantation is under way in some parts of the command areas of Bhadra, Tunga, Anjanapura and Ambligolla reservoirs, the total area under paddy cultivation is likely to reach 90,000 hectares, Mr. Madhusudan said.

On the contingency plan, he said farmers in rain-fed areas and those dependent on lakes have been asked to cultivate ragi and pulses, including green gram and horse gram. Sunflower too can be cultivated in these areas after August. The department has a stock of 20 tonnes of sowing seeds of ragi and it has arranged for their distribution to farmers through Raitha Samparka Kendras. Based on the need, arrangements have been made to distribute seeds of pulses as well, he added.

Mr. Madhusudan said the department would organise programmes in villages to provide information on cultivation of ragi, pulses and sunflower.