Rainfall in the month of September has revived the hopes of farmers to take up the sowing of rabi crops as a compensation to the heavy losses suffered due to the failure of rain during the kharif season in the district.

Moderate to heavy widespread rain in September has revived agricultural operations in most parts of the district with the farmers taking up tilling to prepare the land for the sowing of Bengal gram and jowar. As against the average rainfall of 124.8 mm rain, the district had received a rainfall of 114.0 mm rainfall.

Officials in the Agriculture Department said that rain in the third and fourth weeks of August in some parts of Kalaburagi district had helped the farmers take up sowing of sunflower. Rain in the first and second week of September had helped in loosening the soil enabling the farmers to take up land preparation activities. As per the information available with the Agriculture Department, the farmers started sowing operations a couple of days ago. The rain has also helped in reviving the standing red gram crop in a majority of the areas in the district.

Though the yield would be considerably reduced, the red gram crop which survived the failure of rain in the kharif season would provide the much needed compensation to farmers. The Agriculture Department has increased the coverage of rabi crops in the district to a record of 5.08 lakh hectares.

The officials expect that a large tract of unsown kharif area would automatically be transferred to the rabi area.

Source - http://www.thehindu.com