Bellary farmers pin hopes on Rain God

Bellary, Karnataka, Sep 1 (UNI) The farmers in this district of Karnataka have been forced to pin hopes on the Rain God following the area receiving deficit rainfall this monsoon and the Government doing precious little to come to their rescue.

Almost all the seven taluks of the district were reeling under severe drought conditions. The district had received just 350 mm rainfall till August this year, compared to 508 mm last year.

With the area receiving good rainfall at the beginning of the monsoon, the enthusiastic farmers started sowing operations in nearly 98 per cent of the rain-fed lands. Hoping to get a bounty from the Rain God, the ryots had sown maize in 80,011 hectares of land, followed by sunflower 65,512 hectares, jowar 54,115 hectares, bajra 19,877 hectares, millets and pulses 12,065 hectares, oil seeds like cotton and groundnut 50,284 hectares and other crops like Alasandi, Huruli and green pulses 11,789 hectares.

However, rain played truant, with Bellary and Kudligi being the worst hit, recording just 190.4 mm and 208.4 mm of rainfall till August. Hadagali, which received 434.8 mm of rainfall, was also suffering as 173 mm was received in June itself.

In most pockets of the rain-fed areas, growth of plants was stunted. For instance, jowar had grown only up to four ft as against the usual over eight ft. In some western taluks like Kudligi, Hagaribommanahalli, Hadagali and Bellary, crops like jowar, maize and sunflower had started to wither. If the district does not experience widespread showers in the next seven to eight days, the crops could start withering all over the district.

The farmers have lost hope of retrieving even the amount that they had invested in sowing operations. With the Government yet to start the process of providing relief to the peasants, the latter have started migrating to other places.

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