DHARWAD: Along with several other districts across Karnataka, Dharwad received copious rain in May, in a precursor to the monsoon. The bounteous rainfall that the district received ahead of the onset of the monsoon drove sowing for the kharif crop. While the agriculture department set a target of achieving sowing of kharif crop across 2.72 lakh hectares, farmers across Dharwad are very close to reaching this target, having completed sowing in 2.34 lakh hectares. Most of the farmers have predominantly planted green gram on their fields.
Unlike in 2022, rainfall in May in the preceding years was below the normal quantum that the district is supposed to receive. Undeterred by the lack of rain in the pre-monsoon season, the farmers had gone ahead with sowing. Unfortunately, heavy showers in the last leg of the monsoon season resulted in their incurring massive losses, while others lost their harvest owing to untimely showers.
