GULBARGA: Sowing has been revived in the district following rain in the past four days. The operations were suspended owing to a dry spell of nearly 10 days during the month.

Official sources said that the early onset of monsoon and good rainfall experienced in the district during the third week of June had helped farmers in taking up sowing operations in full swing. Sowing had been completed in more than 73,000 hectares of land as against the target of 7.87 lakh hectares for the kharif season, according to estimates.

Sources said that the area under cultivation of green gram and black gram this year was likely to hit an all-time high owing to the early onset of monsoon. Farmers were going in for cultivation of green and black grams, the two short duration cash crops, used as a buffer crop before going in for sowing of red gram.

The Government has fixed a target of 98,500 hectares of land for green gram and 39,550 hectares of land for black gram. Green Gram had been cultivated in more than 18,200 hectares of land and black gram in 10,900 hectares.

Agriculture Department officials said that the target fixed for bajra (88,900 hectares) during the kharif season would be easily achieved with the farmers having completed sowing in more than 17,800 hectares of land. The early onset of monsoon has also helped growers in taking up cultivation of sesamum in more than 10,000 hectares of land this year as against the target of 35,000 hectares fixed for the kharif season. Last year, farmers who took up sesamum cultivation also suffered heavy loss owing to poor rain. The target fixed for sesamum would also be achieved this year since the sowing of the crop was in full swing in the district even now, officials said. As against a target of 13,350 hectares of land for jowar, sowing had been completed in 3,300 hectares of land. The target fixed this year would be exceeded, sources said. Along with green gram, black gram and sesamum, the farmers had taken up sowing of red gram, which was the major crop of the district, they added.

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