Kharif sowing begins in Ballari

After sustaining crop loss during the kharif and rabi seasons due to the failure of rain last year, farmers in Ballari district have taken up sowing with new hopes of getting a better yield during this kharif season in the wake of reports of good monsoon this year on the one hand and the district recording some excess rainfall during the first fortnight of June on the other.

Sources in the Agriculture Department said that as against a normal rainfall of 35.3 mm from June 1 to June 14, the district had received an actual average rainfall of 75.9 mm.

The following is the taluk-wise details of rainfall recorded (figures in bracket indicate normal rainfall in mm): Ballari 80.5 (33.2), Hadagali 78.6 (37.4), Hosapete 92.8 (38.1), Hagari Bommanahalli 67.1 (32.6), Kudligi 66.9 (34.3), Sandur 76.1 (38.8) and Sirguppa72.5 (35.9).

Official figures indicate that the district had, as on Thursday, recorded a sowing percentage of 10.2 and sowing operations were in progress in various parts of the district in the rain-fed areas. For the kharif season, the sowing target is set at around 3.65 lakh hectares of which around 1.5 lakh hectares is irrigated area.

Paddy, jowar, maize are the major crops among cereals to be cultivated in around 2.08 lakh hectares, tur among pulses in 0.13 lakh hectares, groundnut, sunflower among oil seeds in 0.72 lakh hectares and cotton among commercial crops in 0.70 lakh hectares.

Sowing of jowar, maize, tur, groundnut, sunflower, cotton among other crops has been completed in 0.37 lakh hectares. Sharnappa Mudagal, Joint Director of Agriculture, told

The Hindu that a dry spell in the beginning of the second fortnight has slightly affected sowing operations but he was hopeful of good progress with the anticipated rainfall during the week.