The heavy rain that lashed the district in the last over 30 hours from Saturday evening to Monday morning has given much-needed relief to the farming community. According to statistics given by the Agriculture Research Station coming under University of Agriculture Sciences, Dharwad, here, the district received around 70 mm rains in nearly 30 hours.
While check dams and bunds in rural areas are getting filled as a result, the rain led to flooding in many parts of Vijayapura city. Low-laying areas were the worst affected as water entered houses.
The road between Mehetar Mahal and Jama Masjid was flooded with knee-deep water. According to officials, the rain has come as a boon for farmers whose crops were withering. “This rain will not only help to save those crops which were drying, but also help the rabi crop,” the sources said.
More showers are expected in the next two days.
Speaking to The Hindu , Ashok Timmashetty, a farmer of Kakhandaki village in the taluk, said the rain would enable farmers to cultivate white jowar, toor, sunflower, groundnut and other pulses.
He said though the kharif crop was largely lost, he hoped the rains would, to some extent, help farmers recover the loss in the rabi season.
Over 50 per cent of the kharif crop has already been lost. According to a preliminary assessment, over Rs. 1,000 crore-loss has been incurred by farmers in the district. The government has already declared the district drought-hit. The Department of Agriculture, which had set a target of 4.51 lakh ha sowing for kharif, has now set a target of sowing on 5.24 lakh ha for the rabi season.
Officials said there was a demand for 12,500 quintals of seeds for rabi sowing, and the department had made arrangement to store adequate quantity of seeds and fertilizers to supply through Raita Samparka Kendras.
