Karnataka: Amid pandemic gloom, good rain brings cheer to farmers

BENGALURU: Even as Cyclone Tauktae wreaked havoc in parts of coastal Karnataka, the rainfall triggered by it in other parts of the state has brought cheer to farmers. The pre-monsoon rainfall is bringing relief to the state which has been experiencing deficient rainfall until a few weeks ago. "When the wider economy is not doing that well, agriculture is probably the only silver lining now. A good pre-monsoon rain followed by a decent monsoon (as predicted by experts) will certainly be good for the sector and the state," said Manoj Rajan, commissioner, Karnataka Disaster Management Authority.
Good pre-monsoon rain has eased the concerns over drinking water shortage since there has been good inflow into some major reservoirs, he added.
Favourable weather has also led to early start of agriculture activities as several farmers are dependent on the sector owing to Covid-induced economic crisis, officials said.
Brijesh Kumar Dikshit, commissioner of agriculture, said: "It is the time when farmers are preparing their fields for sowing. Good rain over the last two weeks has prompted them to take up ploughing. Agriculture activities have started in about 2.5 lakh hectares which is also a good sign. This will also boost the upcoming kharif sowing as it helps to cut irrigation and input costs."
According to Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) officials, excess rainfall occurred in most districts of coastal, Malnad, central and north Karnataka districts and several tanks and streams have received good inflow, followed by recharge of groundwater. Heavy rain is expected for the next one week in parts of the state.
In its recent forecast, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the monsoon would reach Karnataka by May 28. The monsoon rain, that usually reach the state by the first or second week of June, is crucial for agriculture, more importantly this year after two years of back-to-back bumper food production.
Farm sector witnessed the highest growth in the last two years as better-than-normal rain helped farmers boost output of crops, including cereals, sugar cane and paddy. The state produced 154 lakh tonnes in 2020-21, which was an all-time record, as against 141 lakh tonnes in 2019-20. This is 30 per cent more than the state's average food production of 115 lakh tonnes.
Much before the Covid-19 second wave, Karnataka had set a target to increase the share of agriculture in the GSDP (Gross State Domestic Product) from 16% to 30% by 2025, according to the officials. While the state GSDP contracted by 2.6% in 2020-2021, the agriculture sector saw 6.4% growth in contrast to the industrial sector and service sector which witnessed contraction by 5.1% and 3.1%, respectively. Around 50-60% of the state's population depend on agriculture and allied activities.