The Hindu : Karnataka / Hassan News : Dry spell affects agriculture in Hassan

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Aug 01, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka - Hassan

Dry spell affects agriculture in Hassan

By Our Staff Correspondent

HASSAN, JULY 31. The kharif season in Hassan district has made little headway on account of a prolonged dry spell. Speaking to The Hindu , the Joint Director of Agriculture, H.P. Mahesh Gowda, said that the area under cultivation was 1,40,557 hectares as against the target of 2.37 lakh hectares.Though the district received good rainfall in April, May, and June, it received less rain in July. The district had received 20 per cent less rainfall compared to last year, he said.

Deficient rainfall

The district had received 102.7 mm against the normal rainfall of 56.5 mm in April, 204.9 mm as against 102.2 in May, and 254.3 mm as against 161.5 in June. The rainfall till July 28 was 93.3 per cent. The district had received a total rainfall of 576.2 mm as against the normal of 328.8 mm from January to June. The scattered rainfall in the first fortnight of July had aided the sowing of ragi. Farmers had also begun planting paddy, he said. However, there was a possibility of the paddy crop getting affected if it did not rain by the first week of August, he said.

The deficient rainfall in July had affected maize, which had been cultivated on 29,090 hectares as against a target of 20,000 hectares. The coverage of sunflower was 11,132 as against the target of 7,750 hectares, he added.

Potato crop affected

Mr. Gowda noted that potato was the worst affected by the dry spell in July. Being a sensitive crop, potato needed moderate rainfall. Nearly 50 per cent of the potato crop, cultivated in 22,000 hectares in the district, had been affected, he said.

Potato is a short-duration crop and needed light rainfall in July for inter-cropping. The farmers who cultivated potato in Dudda, Shanthigrama, and Kattaya hobli of Hassan taluk — a notified potato belt — were now desperate, as 60 per cent of the crop was affected by the dry spell.

However the crop insurance scheme had helped the farmers. July 31 was the last day for insuring crops and farmers were found queuing up to pay the premium.

While all the hoblis in Alur, Belur, Hassan, and Arkalgud taluks were covered under the scheme, Gandsi hobli in Arsikere taluk, Halekote and Hallimysore hobli of Holenarsipura taluk, and Bagur-Dandiganahalli hobli of Channarayapatna taluk were also covered under the scheme. Though Belur Kasba and Halebeed hoblis come under the irrigated area, they had been included under the scheme, he said.

There was an increase in the premium for insuring the potato crop from last year. While the farmers paid a premium of Rs. 588 for an acre in 2003, they had to pay Rs. 1,098 now. The assured amount for irrigated and rain-fed areas were Rs. 63,700 and Rs. 42,400 respectively, he added.

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Dry spell affects agriculture in Hassan