Sowing during Khariff season in the district has been severely affected due to scanty rainfall across the district. According to the latest figures provided by the Agriculture Department in Yadgir on Monday, farmers have completed only 6 per cent (15,743 hectares) of sowing against the targeted area of 2.62 lakh hectares, which is bifurcated as 99,922 hectares in each of the three taluks for the season.
Of the 15,743 hectares, only 8,084 hectares was sown in Yadgir taluk, followed by 2,995 hectares in Shahapur taluk and 660 hectares in Surpur taluk respectively. Cereal was sown in 822 hectares, followed by pulses in 14,280 hectares, oil seeds in 271 hectares and commercial crops in 370 hectares.
Green gram, which has been considered as a short term cash crop, has been sown in 8,276 hectares against the target of 31,000 hectares. Red gram has been sown in 5,895 hectares as against the targeted area of 57,650 hectares. Chetana Patil, Joint Director of Agriculture department, told The Hindu over the phone on Monday that deficit rainfall caused less sowing in the district.
Against an average of 117 mm rainfall in June month, the district has received just 55 mm. She said that the farmers can shift to red gram or cotton and other pulses in the fields prepared for green gram, because the period of sowing green gram was almost over. Red gram and cotton will be sown up to July end, Dr. Patil said.
