Sunday’s heavy rain and Monday’s drizzle in Vijayapura district have brought back the smiles on the faces of farmers who have taken up sowing operations.
On Sunday evening, the district received heavy rain, which not only flooded roads but also filled tanks.
At the same time, agriculture land received copious and much-needed rainfall.
Before it rained, farmers were anxious with the district continuing to face a dry spell even after the second week of June, as normally, monsoon hits the district in the first week of the month itself.
Now, with the district receiving rain, farmers have intensified farming operations as soil has received enough water and there is adequate moisture required for sowing. “Finally, rain has helped farmers to start sowing. We are also prepared to supply the required quantity of seeds and fertilizers to them,” Shivakumar, Joint Director of Agriculture Department, said.
Speaking to The Hindu , he said that the district has 4.2 lakh hectares of sowing area for the kharif season with tur being the major crop of this season.
Since farmers have been receiving good returns for tur for nearly a decade now, they have shifted to tur from other crops such as jowar, sunflower and maize.
However, as maize is fetching better prices since the last year, Mr. Shivakumar believes that this year too many farmers may opt for that crop.
The district has over 50 % sowing area under tur against the kharif target of 4.2 lakh hectares and over 60,000 hectares under maize.
Rain, though, has brought the smiles back on the faces of farmers, officials believe that this smile can be sustained only if the district receives rain at regular intervals of 15 days for the next two months.
“This rain will surely help seeds to germinate and let the plants grow up to at least four inches high; but for better growth and higher yield, more rain is needed which will help keep the moisture in the soil for a longer duration,” he said.
Farmers, meanwhile, are hoping and praying for more rain in the coming days to earn higher returns and cover the loss they incurred during last year’s drought in the district.
