Karnataka - Bidar   

Red gram farmers happy

BIDAR: Though this year’s yield of red gram is expected to be lower than that of last year, farmers in the district are happy that their crops have not been attacked by pests.

Officials told The Hindu on Tuesday that this year’s yield was expected to be less than five quintals a hectare. This was attributed to insufficient rainfall. Besides, lack of moisture in the soil had affected flowering.

Red gram is being cultivated on 69,620 hectares in the taluks of Bidar, Bhalki, Basavakalyan, Humnabad and Aurad. Bidar and Gulbarga are known as the ‘pulse bowls of Karnataka’.

Officials said that there was lack of moisture in most of the cultivated areas in the district. Contrary to the expectations of farmers, rainfall in September was poor.

Last year, rainfall in the district was normal, but red gram farmers suffered a huge loss because of crop diseases. In medium- and deep-soil areas of the district, red gram yield was better and crops recorded normal growth. Also, in areas where farmers had adopted protective irrigation, the yield was good. Red gram this year is expected to fetch Rs. 2,500 a quintal, compared to last year’s price of Rs. 2,000 a quintal.

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