Sowing picks up momentum in Gulbarga

                                                                    (THE HINDU)

Farmers engaged in agriculture activity at Gobbur village on the outskirts of Gulbarga city on Tuesday.

However, even 50 p.c. of target for sowing of green, black gram hasn’t been met

Sowing has picked up momentum in Gulbarga district. As per the latest details, farmers have completed sowing on 1,83,708 hectares, which is around 32.16 per cent of the target of 5,71,200 hectares.

However, Joint Director of the Agriculture Department E.T. Balatkar told The Hindu here on Tuesday that owing to lack of widespread rainfall, sowing of the two major short-duration crops — green gram and black gram — had been slow.

As against the target of 40,000 hectares for black gram, farmers have completed sowing only on 17,812 hectares.

Sowing of green gram has been completed only on 13,932 hectares against the target of 30,000 hectares.

“The fact that farmers could not cover even 50 per cent of the targeted area is a matter of concern. This will have an impact on production of pulses in the district.”

Mr. Balatkar said that farmers had very little time left to complete sowing of these two crops.

In all probability they would not be able to cover the targeted area this year.

Red gram

Sowing of red gram, which is the major crop in the district, was also proceeding slowly. Of the target of 3.65 lakh hectares, farmers had completed sowing on 1,03,874 hectares. Mr. Balatkar said the district had recorded a rain deficit of nearly 8 per cent in June, which is crucial for taking up early sowing of kharif crops.

Rainfall

As against the average rainfall of 122 mm in June in the district, the district has received 112.99 mm. However, rainfall has not been widespread. Chittapur taluk was one of the worst affected with a rain deficit of 54 per in June.

While the coverage of cereals has been 20.35 per cent of the target, pulses coverage has been 30.96 per cent, oilseeds 32.23 per cent. Soya bean continued to be the preferred crop with coverage of 10,373 hectares so far against the target of 700 hectares.

Keywords: farming activities, Gulbarga district, crop sowing activities, E.T. Balatkar