Sown area dips 15% in Karnataka

The area under rabi crops in Karnataka has declined 15 per cent to three million hectares from 3.52 million hectares last year. This is below the normal level of 3.39 million hectares and mainly due to a shift towards pulses, especially redgram and cotton, during the kharif season by farmers in northern parts of the state.

The production of foodgrain this season is expected to be normal due to a more-than-normal north-east monsoon during October-December. During the period, the state recorded 271.3 mm rainfall, 57 per cent more than the normal level of 172 mm.

The soil moisture is adequate. However, massive rain during November as a result of the Jal cyclone in many parts of the state damaged crops over almost 200,000 hectares. Paddy and maize were among the damaged crops.

“In 2009-10, the state saw a drop in area and production in the kharif season due to less monsoon rain and the rabi season was better than kharif. This year, it’s the reverse, with bountiful rain in the kharif season leading to record sowing. The rabi sowing has been lower. But overall we can expect record foodgrain production this year at 12.37 million tones as there has been no problem of seed or fertilizer availability throughout the year,” an agriculture department official said.

So far, the best year for Karnataka has been 2007-08, when the output touched 12.04 million tonnes.

The state agriculture department has set a target of producing 12.37 million tonnes, an increase of 16 per cent over the 10.65 million tonnes produced in 2009-10. The target for rabi and summer is 3.65 million tonnes. Rabi accounts for 20 per cent of the state’s foodgrain production.

Jowar has been sown over one million hectares and bengalgram over a record one million hectares as against the target of 886,000 hectares. Wheat has seen normal sowing, while the area under sunflower has dropped to 200,000 hectares. Cotton has been sown over 116,000 hectares.

With implementation of the accelerated pulses programme in major growing districts of Gulbarga, Bidar, Bijapur and Koppal, the area under under pulses has gone up over 1.3 million hectares. Sowing of bengalgram, horsegram and cowpea was more than normal in most growing regions. The total area under pulses has touched 2.8 million hectares during both kharif and rabi put together.

In oilseeds, the state witnessed a reduction in area under cultivation. Sunflower is the major loser. As against the target of 1.1 million hectares for both kharif and rabi seasons, sowing was done on about 400,000 hectares owing to the shift towards pulses.

Among cash crops, sugarcane and cotton are the big gainers. The plantation of cane has reached record levels.