Drought deepens farmers’ distress as rabi crops wither for lack of moisture

CH NEWS KALABURAGI After a disappointing kharif season due to drought, farmers in Kalaburagi district are facing another crisis as the rabi sowing season gets off to a poor start. Inadequate rainfall and a severe shortage of soil moisture have delayed sowing, while crops that have already sprouted are withering in the fields. Against a rabi sowing target of 1,29,979 hectares for the current season, only 9,994 hectares had been covered by October 25, accounting for a mere 7.69 percent of the target. The situation has heightened concerns among farmers, many of whom are struggling to recover their investments in seeds, fertilisers and land preparation.Of the total targeted area, 21,015 hectares fall under irrigation, while the remaining 1,08,964 hectares depend on rainfall. The sowing target includes 87,525 hectares for cereals such as jowar, wheat and pearl millet; 28,650 hectares for pulses such as chickpea and green gram; 12,104 hectares for oilseeds, including groundnut and safflower; and 1,700 hectares for commercial crops such as cotton and sugarcane. Among the district's 11 taluks, Chittapur recorded the highest sowing area at 3,835 hectares, followed by Kalagi with 1,628 hectares, Afzalpur with 1,361 hectares and Shahabad with 855 hectares. Sowing in the remaining taluks has remained below 9 percent of the respective targets.Farmers who sowed seeds in the hope of receiving rain during the last week of September have been left disappointed. The rainfall was insufficient to sustain germination and early crop growth, leaving even the limited area under cultivation vulnerable to moisture stress.The condition of crops in Hosur village of Chittapur taluk reflects the severity of the crisis. BOX Farmer Ramalingappa Banar, who sowed chickpea on 20 acres, white safflower on 10 acres and jowar on five acres about a month ago, said the growth of all three crops had been severely affected.“Last year, the jowar crop had grown nearly a foot by this time. This year, it is only four to five inches tall, and some plants are already withering. Last year, chickpea plants had grown enough to be harvested for their green leaves, but this time they have barely emerged above the ground, reaching only about two inches. The safflower plants are just beginning to produce leaves, he said.