Farmers are upset over delayed monsoon rain even as most parts of North Karnataka suffered nearly 50% deficit rainfall in June.
As per India Meteorological Department data, the State has suffered an average deficit rainfall of 48%. Rainfall has been poor across various regions.
Farmers are saying that this has affected sowing to a great extent. “By now, we would have sown green gram, black gram, soya, cotton and groundnut and taken up the first round of spraying fertilizer and insecticide. But this time, we have not started sowing yet,” said Prabhu Kalagonda of Athani.
Sugarcane growers are worried too. “We have standing sugarcane of one year and two rotund crops. The health of this crop depends on heavy rain now. We cannot keep supplying borewell water to sugarcane in this season,” said Shankar Patil of Thimmapur village in Bagalkot district.
Belagavi and Bagalkot alone grow over 60% of the State’s sugarcane.
Agriculture Department officials say there is hope. “IMD forecast says that heavy rain is expected this week and the next week. Cultivation area is expected to increase then,” Joint Director of Agriculture Shivanagouda Patil said.
A delegation of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha and Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatan members has already submitted a memorandum to the State government urging it to declare drought.
Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, who held a meeting of officials in Suvarna Soudha recently, said that the State government will take a decision on announcing drought after July 10.
In North Interior Karnataka, that includes 12 districts of North Karnataka, the deficit is 49%. However, Mumbai Karnataka districts are badly hit. The average deficit there is 51%.
Kalyan Karnataka has an average deficit of 36%. In the three coastal Karnataka districts, the average deficit is 43%. The highest average rainfall has been received in South Interior Karnataka, that includes 17 districts of old Mysuru, Bengaluru and the two Kalyan Karnataka districts of Ballari and Vijayanagara.
It has an average deficit of only 5%.
In Kalyan Karnataka, the deficit is an average 41%. Bidar has had the smallest deficit of 9%, Raichur has the highest of 47%, Koppal 44%, Kalaburagi 41% and Yadgir 34%.
In Kittur Karnataka, the highest deficit is in Bagalkot, which sees the least amount of rainfall in the State, with an average of around 68%. Belagavi comes next with 65%, Dharwad 62%, Vijayapura 56%, Haveri 46% and Gadag 32%.
The average deficit among coastal districts is 43%. In Dakshina Kannada, it is 53%, Udupi 41% and Uttara Kannada 38%.
Bengaluru Urban has had excess rainfall of 6%.
Meanwhile, Kolar has had 6% deficit rainfall, Mysuru 11%, Chamarajanagar 15%, Mandya 16%, Chitradurga 18%, Davangere 18%, Vijayanagara 19%, Chikkaballapura 36%, Ballari 51%, Ramanagara 52%, Hassan 63%, Chikkamagaluru 67%, Shivamogga 72%, Kodagu 80% and Tumakuru has recorded 81% deficit rainfall.
