The Hindu : Karnataka News : Farmers expect bumper yield

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Sunday, Oct 14, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka

Farmers expect bumper yield

Staff Correspondent

Water scarcity in summer feared

Chitradurga: Timely rainfall this year has kindled hopes among the farmers of Chitradurga district of a good harvest.

Those cultivating groundnut in the Molakalmur, Challakere, Hosadurga areas of Chitradurga district seem optimistic about a large yield.

Production

Last year, the production of groundnut was around 35 to 40 per cent of the usual yield, while this year it is expected to reach 75 per cent.

The area under cultivation in the kharif season is around 2.25 lakh hectares, while for rabi crop it is about 1.35 lakh hectares.

The western parts of the district comprising Hiriyur and Hosadurga, where mainly maize and sunflower are grown, also expect better yield this time.

About 35 to 40 per cent of farmers of Hosadurga taluk have cultivated high quantities of sesame and groundnut.

While rainfall has made farmers optimistic, they are however, not enough to fill water tanks.

This has led to apprehension among farmers of water scarcity in the summer, as bore wells may go dry, and groundwater may dip further.

Difficulty

“Farmers may face difficulty sowing crops for the rabi season owing to inadequate water”, said farming expert G.S. Ujjanappa.

He said if the farmers were to receive rain by November end, sowing of red gram and sunflower would begin on a large scale.

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