In Mysuru, unseasonal showers likely to affect paddy, ragi crops ready for harvest

MYSURU/ SHIVAMOGGA: Farmers across the Old Mysore region who were either busy harvesting or preparing to, paddy and finger millet (ragi) are dismayed in the wake of yet another spell of unseasonal rainfall, which may leave them clutching huge losses. That the government was scheduled to register paddy and finger millet for procurement from Wednesday has only served to accentuate further the predicament the farmers currently find themselves in.

As part of its efforts to take administration digital, the government set up the Farmer Registration Unified Beneficiary Information System (FRUITS) portal, where ryots can enrol themselves. The government is slated to commence procurement of the two crops from New Year’s Day.
The Mandous cyclone could not have arrived on the Bay of Bengal at a more inopportune time for these farmers. It was a grim weekend for the farmers of Chamarajanagar district, who watched, with receding hope, as the rain stubbornly refused to stop. Between 8.30am on Sunday and 8.30am on Monday, Mangala village received 69mm rainfall, the highest in the state, followed by Emmedoddi in Kadur taluk in Chikkamagaluru.
Between 8.30am on Sunday and 8.30am on Monday, Mangala village in Chamarajanagar taluk and district recorded the highest rainfall in the state with 69 MM rainfall followed by 63 MM rainfall in the Emmedoddi village in Kadur taluk of Chikkamagaluru district.
President of the Mysuru district unit of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) TR Vidyasagar opined that unseasonal rainfall was likely to result in an approximate decline of 30% in the yield of paddy and ragi. He pointed out that hay, used as fodder for livestock, would also bear the brunt of unseasonal rainfall. Vidyasagar lamented the morass of despair that the farmers were likely to find themselves plunged in following unexpected heavy showers.
Senior consultant to the Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority, G Srinivasa Reddy, however, said that the rainfall was likely to decrease starting Tuesday, adding that the conditions were likely to remain overcast for a few more days. “There is something brewing over the Andaman islands now, and we will follow how this develops. If this new formation creates a new low-pressure area, we are likely to witness a new wet spell that may last eight to ten days,” Reddy added.
Poor turnout at Bahuroopi
Inclement weather meant that the turnout for Rangayana’s national theatre festival, Bahuroopi was sparse on Monday. The turnout was markedly low for the film festival, in particular, despite award-winning films and documentaries being screened at the event. Given that the intensity of rain is witnessing a surge in the evening, patrons appear to be wary of turning up for the performances in the evening.
Farmers worried about fungal infection
Gloom seemed to hang more heavily over the picturesque village of Thirthahalli in Shivamogga than the ominous grey clouds. Hundreds of acres of paddy, ripe for harvest, were destroyed, leaving farmers a despondent lot. Meanwhile, areca farmers are fretting over the impact unseasonal showers will have on the quality of their crop.
Rudrappa, a paddy farmer in Kerehalli in Shivamogga, said that he had cultivated the crop on two acres, and had commenced harvest in November. “Unseasonal showers will result in the quality of the crop taking a hit,” he said. Fellow paddy cultivator, Annappa from Hanagerekatte, said that the wet conditions on the field were not conducive to the movement of reaping machines. Areca cultivators, meanwhile, fear a rampant spread of fungal infections across their fields in the wet conditions.