Scanty rainfall impacts pre-kharif sowing in Mysuru district

Mysuru: The scanty rainfall in the pre-monsoon season has impacted pre-kharif sowing, agriculture activities in Mysuru district this year. The department of agriculture has targeted 25,000-30,000 hectares of pre-kharif sowing during March, April.The district recorded 70% scanty rainfall during the pre-monsoon season. The district received 24.6 millimetres of rainfall between March 1 and April 30 against 81.1 mm of rainfall.As per details, the district received 9.8 mm of rain during April as against 66.2 mm of rain, with a scarcity of 85% rain during the crucial month of pre-kharif sowing season. The district recorded 50% scarcity of rainfall from Jan till the end of April this year, officials said.Farmers were sowing cotton, pulses and oil seeds crops like blackgram, cow pea, horsegram, green gram, fodder, other crops during pre-kharif season against the targeted 20,000 to 30,000 hectares among the total 2.86 lakh hectares of rain-fed land in the district.Farmers also used to till land, make other preparations for pre-kharif sowing, but this year no such scenes were found in the district during the scanty and scattered rainfall in the district.People of the district were also affected by increasing temperature as it touched 36 degrees Celsius during April, and the district was also declared as a heat wave-hit district by the govt.The depletion of groundwater level coupled with depletion of water levels in KRS dam (it is 93 feet as against maximum of 124.8 feet) and Kabini dam in HD Kote taluk, which are the lifelines of the farmers in the district, due to shortage of rain in its catchment has also worried farmers about their upcoming months agriculture activities.Speaking to TOI, joint director of agriculture KH Ravi said that pre-kharif sowing took a beating this year in Mysuru district due to scanty rainfall due to the failure of pre monsoon rains during the crucial month of April. The district must receive a minimum of 30 to 40% of millimetres of rain to take up sowing, tilling land to make other preparations for agriculture activities, but almost all taluk received less rainfall and face a shortage above 75% rain. The district has stocked enough seeds, fertilisers, ready for distribution at its Raitha Samparka Kendras, through its authorised shops and agencies for kharif sowing, he said.Deputy director of horticulture Dr Manjunath Angadi said with the temperature increasing, shortage of rain has affected mango growers, resulting in decline of yield this year in the district.In the taluksAs per taluk-wise details, HD Kote recorded a scarcity of 96% rainfall during April followed by Hunsur (91%), Saligrama (90%), Mysuru (88%), Nanjangud (87%), KR Nagar (85%), T Narasipura (82%), Periyapatna (79%) and Saragur (64%).