Shivamogga: Maize crop cultivation hit due to incessant rainfall in Karnataka

Incessant rains in parts of Karnataka has damaged crops in Shivamogga district and other parts of the state. The affected districts are Dharwad, Belagavi, Kalaburagi, Gadag, Vijayapura, Bagalkote, Shivamogga and Chikkamagaluru. The torrential rains from November to December has caused damage to crops which has made the yield per hectare nose dive and the remaining produce to be sold off at lower rates. Karnataka received nearly five times the rainfall it normally used to have, adding to the severity of the ongoing floods in 12 districts. 

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Maize crop cultivation hit

"Rains have devastated our lives, more than 50% of the maize crops have been damaged, prices have also dipped, a few days back maize was being sold at Rs 2,600 per quintal but now it has come down to just Rs1,200," said Prasanna a farmer. 

Crops infected 

The rains have also damaged Toor dal production in the state. According to reports, a fungal infection has affected Toor dal crops in Karnataka. Farmers said the yield of the crop has been severely affected due to unseasonal weather and excessive rainfall particularly in the month of November.

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"I have planted it in 9 acres of land but due to heavy rainfall, the crop is almost ruined. It has turned black. Also, there is heavy dew in the morning causing damage to the crop. The plants are desiccating from the roots, the buds are falling and farmers are worried as the yield is expected to be very low this year," said Kumar, a Toor dal farmer. The waterlogging, which happened due to incessant rains and floods, adversely affected the crops and also made the plants more vulnerable to pest attacks. 

Zaheer Ahmed, a scientist at Kalaburagi Krishi Kalyan Kendra said that the cultivation od Toor Dal is affected due to the unseasonal weather. For one week there was full cloudy weather, for another week there was rain and sunlight another week, he said. 

(With ANI inputs)

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