The Hindu Business Line : October rains raise hopes on rabi yield

The October rains have brought hope to this year's rabi crop, though some anxiety remains. "We feel that the target area may be achieved," according to the Director, Drought Monitoring Cell, Mr V.S. Prakash.

The second and third week of October saw very good rains, especially in the coastal area, and the rainfall was 23 per cent above normal. Despite this, the overall statistics show that the State remained rainfall-deficient by 27 per cent. This is the second consecutive year that the State has faced scanty rainfall. Severity of such a degree was seen last in 1985.

The crop in northern interior Karnataka (NIK) region, the main rabi area in the State, would need at least one more "good rain" in November, Mr Prakash said. Sowing, which should have started in mid-September, was delayed. This had forced farmers to shift to shorter duration crop, where yields might be slightly lower, Mr Prakash said. The main rabi crops in NIK are jowar, Bengal gram, wheat and sunflower.

In the rest of the State, crops grown include ragi, cereals, pulses, maize, Bengal gram, green gram, black gram, tur, groundnut, tomato, sesame, sunflower, sugarcane, potato, onions and chillies.

So far, a total of 8.01 lakh hectare has been sown in the State for the rabi season against a normal of 15.9 lakh hectare by mid-October. Last year, during the same time, 11.2 lakh hectare was covered.

Cash crops (sugarcane, tobacco and cotton) were the least affected, and 1.18 lakh hectare of the 3.1 lakh hectare target have been sown.

According to rough estimates, kharif production will be down by 40-50 per cent, partly because of lower area covered and partly because of lack of rainfall. Out of the 69-lakh hectare targeted, only 56.25 hectare was covered and 13 lakh hectare remained unsown. The crop on nearly 24 lakh hectare of land was affected by the lack of rainfall.

During the third week of October, the major reservoir levels at Supa, Lingamakki, KRS, Kabini, Hemavati, Bhadhra and Tungabhadra were below minimum levels recorded in the last 10 years. Varahi, Harangi, Ghataprabha and Malaprabha are lower than the 10-year average level.

The State is in a "wait and see" phase, as it pins hopes on the north-east monsoon.

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