Shivamogga prepared for kharif season

Shivamogga: The pre-monsoon showers in the past few days have benefitted farmers of the region as preparations for sowing kharif crops have already begun. Farmers in semi-arid regions like Shikaripur, Sorab, Shivamogga and Bhadravathi have begun tilling and removing weeds. They have prepared nurseries to raise paddy seedlings in Talaguppa and Anavatti hoblis.

Shivamogga district received 156 mm of rain from January 1 to May 20 which is a 48% increase from the average 105 mm the district usually receives in the period. In May, Shivamogga taluk received 162 mm of rain (average 107 mm), Bhadravathi 167 mm (97 mm), Tirthahalli 201 mm (108 mm), Hosanagar 177 mm (112 mm), Sagar 136 mm (102 mm), Shikaripur 127 mm (118 mm) and Sorab 122 mm (92 mm).

Joint Director of Agriculture, Kiran Kumar, said that owing to the widespread pre-monsoon showers in May, farmers have begun pre-sowing activities like cleaning of lands, tilling and clearing weeds. The sowing is expected to begin in the last week of May. The Agriculture Department has set a cultivation target of 1.69 lakh hectares for the kharif season. There will be paddy cultivation on 1.02 lakh hectares and maize cultivation on 60,000 hectares. The rest of the land will have pulses, ragi and oilseeds.

Kumar said that adequate stocks of sowing seeds and fertilisers have been maintained for the season. The district possesses 27,980 tonnes of fertilisers and 16,000 quintals of sowing seeds which will be distributed to farmers through private dealers and Raitha Samparka Kendras.