Kalaburagi
Kalaburagi district is gearing up for the upcoming southwest monsoon with an ambitious agricultural plan, setting a total sowing target of 8,90,633.8 hectares for the 2026 season. With early monsoon rains expected, farmers across the district have already begun preparing their fields for large-scale cultivation.
Agriculture Department officials said farmers are actively clearing weeds, removing agricultural waste, and carrying out ploughing and rotavator operations to improve soil readiness. Intermittent pre-monsoon showers have further improved soil moisture levels, creating favourable conditions for sowing.
Of the total target, 80,840 hectares are under irrigation, while 8,09,793.4 hectares depend on rain-fed agriculture. Officials confirmed that seed stocks are being maintained in both government and private warehouses to ensure uninterrupted supply during the sowing period.
Data from the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre shows that the district has already received above-normal pre-monsoon rainfall. Between January 1 and May 15, Kalaburagi recorded 68.7 mm of rainfall against the expected 45.3 mm, providing additional support for early agricultural activity.
Red gram is expected to dominate cultivation this season, with a target of 6.30 lakh hectares. Other crops include 25,000 hectares of black gram, 54,000 hectares of green gram, along with smaller allocations for avare, horse gram, cotton, and sugarcane.
Cotton cultivation has been planned over one lakh hectares, including both irrigated and rain-fed areas. Meanwhile, sugarcane plantation has already been completed in around 12,000 hectares, with an additional 33,000 hectares expected to be cultivated soon.
Agriculture Joint Director Samad Patel confirmed that fertilizer stocks are sufficient across the district. As of May 16, Kalaburagi has 40,903 metric tonnes of fertilizers, including urea, DAP, MOP, NPK, and SSP.
Officials said all necessary preparations have been completed to ensure timely availability of seeds and fertilizers, aiming to support farmers and achieve the district’s agricultural targets during the monsoon season.