The State’s overall sowing is higher this year compared to the same period last year with more than 44.18 lakh hectares under cultivation.
This is higher than the normal coverage of 39.06 lakh hectares that is brought under cultivation.
The statistics, updated till July 9, 2020, indicates that the actual area sown was 5.11 lakh hectares more than what is normally sown for the period, according to the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC).
As of July 9, the sowing status was above normal in the 15 districts and normal in eight districts while there were seven districts where the sowing was below normal. The 15 districts which completed sowing in excess of the target area include Hassan, Mandya, Dharwad, Belagavi, Gadag, Bidar, Ballari, Koppal, Yadgir, and Kalaburagi among others.
The eight districts where sowing was between 75% to 100% of the target fixed including Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, Davanagere, Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru, and Raichur etc.
According to the State Agriculture Department, the area under food grain is almost 28 lakh hectares while oil seeds and cash crops account for the 6.3 lakh hectares and 9.04 lakh hectares respectively. The target area for foodgrains has been pegged at 52.43 lakh hectares and for oil seeds it is 10.67 lakh hectares while for cash crops the target area is 13.89 lakh hectares.
Under cereals, the actual area covered by rice is 1.28 lakh hectares while the target for the kharif season is 9.7 lakh hectares. The total area covered by cereals so far is 13.65 lakh hectares against the target of 31.37 lakh hectares. More than 15.08 lakh hectares have been brought under pulses so far as against the target of 21.06 lakh hectares for the kharif season.
According to the department, the area sown during the current year is more than the last year’s coverage for all the major crops so far.
The sowing and the thrust in agricultural activities has been attributed to adequate rainfall so far across the State. However, the water levels at the major reservoirs present a different picture. In KRS, the storage level is less than the average of the last 10 years for the period though the levels at Harangi, Hemavathi and Kabini reservoirs are more as on July 15, according to KSNDMC.
