Raichur: Most of the farmers who depend on traditional crops are still waiting for monsoon in the district. But as the monsoon continues to creep up in the district, agriculture department officials are urging farmers to switch to an alternative cropping pattern to protect themselves from financial setbacks.
According to officials, farmers should plant tur, greengram, millet, jowar, sunflower and groundnut in mixed red soil, which is suitable for dry farming. Farmers can also grow groundnut and castor seeds to help them get by, in case of monsoon failure.
If the monsoon is delayed by eight weeks, farmers should plant by the 2nd week of August, tentatively by 15 August. Since there is a weak monsoon, farmers are advised to sow rabi seeds instead of kharif seeds.
“Around 40% of sowing has been completed where the lands have an irrigation facility. But farmers who depend on rain expect to sow the seeds between July 15 and 30,” said joint director of the agriculture department Prakash Chavan.
“Both cotton and pickles depend on rain. However, the crop can dry up if there is no rain within a week. Farmers who have their fields on the banks of the Krishna river have already sown the seeds,” said Raichur Assistant Director of Agriculture, Deepa Kulkarni.
Out of 3,10,645 ha in the district, sowing of sand is completed in 2,625 ha, hybrid jowar in 85 ha, maize in 290 ha, hybrid millet in 5,120 ha, tur in 67,509 ha, green gram in 315, horse gram in 2,194 ha and sunflower in 2,194 ha. and cotton seeds sown in 1,36,664 ha.
“In Sindhanur taluk, traditional sowing has been taken up in 30 ha out of 65,000 ha,” said Assistant Director of Agriculture Rudragouda Malipatil.
“In the last one month, 90 mm of rain fell in a single day. But after that, there was no rain in the district. Hence, farmers will start sowing in the coming days,” said Deepa Kulkarni, Assistant Director of Agriculture, Raichur.
