Karnataka: Dry spell leaves tur dal farmers in the lurch
Bidar district alone is said to have lost 20 to 30 per cent of its standing crop in the rain.
Kalaburagi: Farmers, who were hoping for a bumper tur dal crop owing to the good South- West Monsoon in the four districts of Hyderabad – Karnatak region and neighbouring Vijayapura, are now looking at a very low yield owing to the unprecedented heavy rain in September followed by a long dry spell.
Farmers take up cotton
Several farmers of Kalaburagi and neighbouring Yadgir , that are together called the “Tur Bowl” of Karnataka, had switched to cotton in the past, but many reverted back to sowing of tur dal owing to the good monsoon in these parts this year.
However, many suffered a huge loss as the heavy rain in September badly hit the standing crop. Bidar district alone is said to have lost 20 to 30 per cent of its standing crop in the rain.
The dry spell that followed has hit the crop even harder. Going by agricultural experts around 30 per cent of the crop has withered due to the 25 per cent deficit rainfall.
Said farmer Manik Reddy from Sedam taluk, “I lost some of my tur crop in the September rains. If it had rained about 25 days ago, I would have got an yield of seven to eight quintals per acre. But now I may get three to four quintals”.
Manik Reddy is afraid that with the dry spell continuing, the crop is likely to wither further, affecting his yield even more.