With good pre-monsoon rains, Shivamogga ready for kharif

With the district receiving pre-monsoon showers for the past few days, preparations for kharif sowing are in full swing.

In the semi-arid regions of Shikaripur, Sorab, Shivamogga and Bhadravathi, farmers have begun levelling the land, tilling, and removing weeds. They have prepared nurseries to raise paddy seedlings in Talaguppa and Anavatti hoblis, where the crop is cultivated using drill-sowing method.

The district received 156 mm of rain from January 1 to May 20 — a 48% increase on the average rainfall of 105 mm during this period. In May, Shivamogga taluk received 162 mm of rain (as compared to the average of 107 mm), Bhadravathi received 167 mm of rain (97 mm), Tirthahalli 201 mm (108 mm), Hosanagar 177 mm (112 mm), Sagar 136 mm (102 mm), Shikaripur 127 mm (118 mm), and Sorab 122 mm (92 mm).

From May 1 to 20, the district received 94 mm of rain, up from the normal rainfall of 58 mm for the period. Kiran Kumar, Joint Director of Agriculture, told The Hindu that as the pre-monsoon rains were widespread in May, farmers have taken up pre-sowing activities like cleaning of lands, tilling, and clearing of weeds. The actual sowing is likely to commence in the last week of May.

The Agriculture Department has set a cultivation target on 1.69 lakh hectares in the district for the kharif season. This includes paddy cultivation on 1.02 lakh hectares and maize cultivation on 60,000 hectares. On the remaining tracts of land, cultivation of pulses, ragi, and oilseeds will be taken up.

Mr. Kumar said ample stock of sowing seeds and fertilisers have been maintained in the district for the kharif season, and measures have been taken to distribute them to farmers through private dealers and Raitha Samparka Kendras. At present, the district has 27,980 tonnes of fertilisers and 16,000 quintals of sowing seeds.