Kalaburagi: Timely and heavy rain since the onset of the monsoon this year has cheered up farmers of Hyderabad-Karnataka region as they are hopeful of getting bumper kharif crops, especially of pulses and oil seeds.
Though some pockets in the four districts-Bidar, Kalaburagi, Yadgir and Raichur have failed to receive average rainfall, overall, the situation is satisfactory with many taluks recording above average rainfall.
As these districts faced continuous droughts during the last three years, failure of rains for one more year would have pushed the already disaster-struck farmers to the brink of the worst ever agrarian crisis and led to more suicides.
But the rains, have altered the grim scenario. They have also replenished open wells, streams, lakes and percolation tanks, solving the drinking water problem to a great extent.
Further, good rains in the upper regions of Maharashtra and the Malnad regions of Karnataka have improved considerably the storage levels in major reservoirs such as Alamatti, Basavasagar, Tungabhadra and Karanja.
The authorities have already released water into canals from these reservoirs to enable farmers take up cultivation of crops. For example in Bidar district, as against the Agriculture Department’s target of sowing in 3,39,600 hectares, sowing has taken place in 3,16,258 hectares taking the percentage of sowing to 91.3 .
In Kalaburagi district, as against target of 5, 69, 885 hectares this season, sowing has taken place in 5,16,085 hectares, taking the percentage to 90. Chincholi, Chittaur and Sedma taluks are leading the list with 100, 97 and 93 per cent sowing respectively.
