Late rains augur well for rabi crops in Karnataka

The prospect of rabi (winter) crops in Karnataka has brightened because of late south-west monsoon, which will help the state recover likely foodgrain output losses in the kharif season, a state official said.
Kharif (summer) crops, which will be harvested from the next month onwards, have been hit badly in the southern state due to poor rains during crucial sowing months of June-July. This is expected to bring down overall kharif output by 25 per cent.
"The kharif season has not been that good, but rabi prospects are bright. Late rains in the last last few days have improved soil moisture and will encourage sowing of rabi (winter) crops," Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre Director G S Srinivasa Reddy told PTI.

Sowing of rabi crops will begin from the end of this month and the state has kept a target of covering 37 lakh hectares, he said.
Reddy further said: "We are expecting good rains during the withdrawal phase of the south-west monsoon. We will be able to achieve the target."
The shortfall in the kharif output, especially in paddy, will be recovered during the rabi season, he claimed.

During the rabi season in the state, maximum of Bengal gram is sown in around 10-12 lakh hectares, followed by jowar, wheat and sunflower seeds.
Water levels in most reservoirs have improved, thanks to the last leg of the south-west monsoon, which is nearing its withdrawal.

As per state official data, foodgrain ouput during the kharif season of 2017-18 is estimated to decline by 25 per cent to 75 lakh tonnes, from 98.27 lakh tonnes in the year-ago period. Much of the estimated decline is in paddy and pulses.