With the failure of pre-monsoon showers, the farmers in Kadur taluk are anxious over drought for the fourth consecutive year.
The taluk has already been suffering from a drought for three consecutive years.
Normally, the pre-monsoon showers help farmers to get ready for farming activities. The failure of monsoon has made farmers worry over the future.
Farmers cultivate commercial crops of cotton and onion. Last year, the target was to cultivate cotton on 550 hectares of land. However, only 35 hectares was covered. This year, the target is to sow cotton on 570 hectares of land. However, no sowing has been done by the farmers so far. Last year, onion was sown on 400 hectares of land. However, the yield was less.
The target to cultivate agriculture crops last year was 68,700 hectares. This year, the target is to cultivate on 69,070 hectares of land. Hybrid jowar, maize, oilseeds need to be sown in the month of May.
Farmers said, “The clearing of the weeds from the farmland should have been taken up for sowing cotton and onion. However, as we had not cultivated two crops in the past, we are left with no option but to cultivate ragi this year. Ragi was cultivated on 31,500 hectares of land. Owing to last year’s ragi cultivation, the fodder shortage was not experienced this year.”