The Hindu : Karnataka News : Farmers hope for better cotton yield

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Wednesday, Dec 12, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka

Farmers hope for better cotton yield

Staff Correspondent

Timely rainfall in Chitradurga has led to increase in area under the crop

Piled up: Cotton being brought to the APMC yard in Chitradurga.

Chitradurga: Timely rainfall has increased hopes among cotton farmers in the district of a better yield this year.

Farmers had suffered substantial crop loss in the past few years owing to scant rainfall. In some parts of the district, the annual production target set by the Agriculture Department could not be met.

According to sources in the department, in the last kharif season the area under cotton was 7,707 hectares, while production was 2,547 tonnes. Each hectare yielded 330 kg of cotton. This year the area under cultivation increased by 2,285 hectares, and the Agriculture Department had set a production target of 1,890 tonnes.

“We had initially set this target, but on seeing prospects of greater crop yield, we expect it to be crossed,” the official said. Since the harvesting season is still on, the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) has been receiving enormous amounts of cotton from farmers in Chitradurga, Hosadurga, Holalkere and Bharamasagar taluks. The price of a quintal of cotton ranges between Rs. 1,600 and Rs. 2,900, sources said.

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