Revival of Monsoons Brings Hope to Coastal Farmers

Mangaluru/Udupi/Karwar: After a 10-day lull, the much-awaited south-westerly monsoons have made a comeback in coastal Karnataka, rekindling the hopes of farmers for a successful Khariff sowing season. The agricultural community had been growing increasingly anxious as the monsoon weakened over the past week, offering only sporadic showers every few days.

In Udupi district, heavy rainfall on Friday led to reported damages in various areas of Karkala taluk. Strong winds caused partial damage to houses in Karkala, Ninjoor, Yerlapady, Kervashe, and Bola. Additionally, incidents of trees falling were reported in Karkala, while similar cases of partial house damage were observed in Karkunje (Kundapur), Cherkady (Brahmavara), Kambadakone, Shiroor (Byndoor), Innanje (Kaup), Alevoor, and Moodanidamboor (Udupi taluk). Coastal regions such as Trasi, Kodi, and Kundapur experienced rough sea conditions on Saturday.

As per the rain cell at the DC's office in the three districts, the recorded rainfall for the past 24 hours until 8.30 am on Saturday was as follows: Udupi taluk - 48.4 mm, Brahmavara - 34.9 mm, Kaup - 46.4 mm, Kundapur - 61.2 mm, Byndoor - 85.6 mm, Karkala - 76.2 mm, and Hebri - 100.0 mm. On a broader scale, the average rainfall across Udupi district during the same period was 68.1 mm. Similarly, Uttara Kannada and Dakshina Kannada also experienced heavy to very heavy rains, with an average of 80 mm in Dakshina Kannada and 91 mm in Uttara Kannada district.

The timely revival of the monsoons has enabled farmers in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts to commence Khariff operations, marking the beginning of agricultural activities for the season.

In line with the state's new agriculture policy, Udupi district has increased its Khariff cultivation area by 4.5 percent, both in terms of land coverage and yield targets. The district's four taluks with moderate to high agricultural concentration are Mangalore, Puttur, Buntwal, and Belthangady. However, the Sullia taluk has seen a decline in agricultural land under Khariff, now reduced to a mere 485 hectares. The agriculture department aims to cover 35,600 hectares under Khariff in 2023 (compared to 35,090 hectares in 2022). Given the district's annual Khariff period rainfall of over 4000 mm, only paddy cultivation is suitable for the season. As part of the new farm policy 2022, the district is also preparing to double its paddy production within the next ten years.

Mangalore taluk leads with 12,700 hectares of Khariff land, followed by Buntwal with 9,500 hectares, Belthangady with 8,375 hectares, Puttur with 3,940 hectares, and Sullia with 485 hectares. The discrepancy between Sullia and other taluks can be attributed to the people's preference in Sullia for horticultural and plantation crops, which has reduced paddy cultivation.

The Agriculture Research cell at the Agriculture department in Mangalore is actively engaged in training farmers to increase yield per hectare and expand Khariff paddy cultivation. Through 17 Raitha Sangha (Farmers clubs) in the district, demonstration and training sessions are being conducted. The department has also distributed copies of `Pancha Suthra’ for enhanced yields and increased cultivation coverage to all Raitha Sanghas.

Despite reports of fertilizer and seed shortages in other parts of the state, the coastal areas have not been significantly affected. The district consumes around 170 tonnes of seeds, with farmers preferring seeds from the Karnataka State Seed Corporation (KSSC). Farmers in the region also favor hardy varieties such as MO-4 and Jaya, developed by Acharya N.G. Ranga University of Agriculture in Andhra Pradesh, which can withstand heavy rains while maintaining rice quality. Statistics from the Raitha Samparka Kendra indicate that nearly 70 percent of farmers exchange seeds. Additionally, the government has announced a higher subsidy for small and medium farmers this year, providing a 10 percent subsidy on paddy seeds like MO4, Jaya, Jyothi, and MTU 1001. Other varieties, CTH1 (also known as Mukti) and Rasi, are cultivated only in upland fields.