Sowing hits high in Karnataka, farmers sceptical of good returns

BENGALURU: It is bumper sowing in Karnataka this year, with crops being cultivated in 70.04 lakh hectares, which is 90.96 per cent of the targeted 77 lakh hectares of agricultural land.The big spurt in farming activity is due to good rainfall and also Covid restrictions, which have made many people from cities return to villages. While officials are hoping for a bountiful yield, farmers are sceptical about getting good returns for their produce as the demand and price goes down when the markets are glutted with foodgrains.

This is the first time since the 1990s that the State has seen sowing operations in over 70 lakh hectares. In many intervening years, it has been as low as 50 lakh hectares due to scanty rainfall. Data available with The New Indian Express reveals that as of August 21, in rain-fed areas, sowing had been completed in 54.52 lakh hectares as against the available 56.5 lakh hectares, making it 96.49 per cent coverage.During the same duration last year, the sowing operation was 68.66 per cent, which officials had said was good. This year, however, it is even better, they added.

Data shows that of the seven districts that have notched up over 100 per cent of targeted sowing, six are from North Karnataka -- Bidar, Kalaburagi, Koppal, Haveri, Gadag and Dharwad. Udupi is the only other district from the coastal area with the distinction. Chitradurga has witnessed 99.86 per cent, while Belagavi and Vijayapura have recorded 97.68 and 94.74 per cent, respectively. The higher coverage also means that lands that were not farmed earlier are now being cultivated. 

With another week left for sowing,  officials expect the numbers to only go up. Last year, Karnataka produced 154 lakh metric tonnes of foodgrains, while normally, it hovers around 130-140 lakh MT.  
Prof Rajegowda, former registrar, University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Bengaluru, said. “MSP has been fixed for ragi, wheat, red gram, groundnut, rice and other major crops. With MSP, farmers are sure to get good returns. The only concern is that rain should not hamper harvesting operations,” he said.  

Agriculture Minister BC Patil said, “We will procure crops at MSP. To some extent, it is true that higher the supply, lesser the demand. But the new APMC Act allows farmers to sell their produce in the open market, which will benefit them.” Patil said the State has sufficient warehouses to store the procured produce. Last year, though the produce was 10% higher, farmers got a good price, he pointed out.

But farmer leader Kodihalli Chandrashekar expressed serious concerns over government’s procurement policy and marketing. “Whether the produce is high or low, farmers are at the receiving end. If there is a drought or flood, they get less produce and less money. When the yield is good, they do not get a good price. In states like Punjab, if someone buys the produce for less than MSP, he or she can be jailed for two-and-a-half years. In Kanataka, MSP is a mere eyewash,’’ he said.