Director of Central Poultry Development Organisation and Training Institute P.S. Mahesh, who is heading the central team to assess drought situation in Karnataka, has said that the team will submit its report to the Union government within a week.
Speaking to presspersons after visiting villages in Hubballi and Navalgund taluks in Dharwad district on Saturday, he said a realistic assessment of the drought situation of the rabi season had been done by the team.
He said on Monday various central teams will meet in Bengaluru to get further details from the State government and subsequently within a week the report would be submitted to the Centre.
At Shiraguppi, the team members assessed the damage to crops of chilli and cotton and interacted with farmers. At Nalavadi the team members visited a agricultural pond constructed as part of drought relief measures.
Deputy Commissioner Deepa Cholan briefed the team members about the drought situation and said that cultivation of maize, groundnut, cotton, red chilli and onion was taken up in an area of 97,982 hectares in the drought hit Hubballi and Navalgund taluks. Of it, 50% crop damage had been reported in 84,414 hectares.
In Belagavi district, the team spoke to Eerabasavva Kenchanagoudar of Bashidoni village. She said she had spent ₹15,000 on cultivating sunflower on her 2.29 acres of land and the crop was lost owing to scarce rain.
When she was asked why she did not opt to dig a farm pond on her farm, she said that she could not afford to. Deputy Commissioner S.B. Bommanahalli promised the team that the district administration will see that a farm pond was dug in her field.
The team spoke to farmer Shivappa Kolli who had lost his cotton crop.
Central Water Commission Director O.R.K Reddy and Union Rural Development undersecretary Neeta Teheliani are part of the team. ZP CEO R. Ramachandran, joint director of agriculture Jilani Mokashi, deputy director of horticulture Ravindra Hakati, assistant commissioner Shivanand Bhajantri and others were present. In Yadgir district, the central team visited fields in Killanakera, Balichakra, Kudulur and Duppalli villages and inspected the crops damaged.
M. Kurma Rao, Deputy Commissioner, said that around 1.37 lakh hectares of crops were damaged and the loss was approximately estimated at ₹99 crore.
In Raichur district, farmers in Eganur, Kuknur and Marched villages aired their woes to the central team. The team visited Kasbe camp, Balaji Camp and Kallur village where the works under MGNREGA were taken up.
(With inputs from Belagavi, Yadgir, and Raichur)
