Dharwad
In Shirura village of Navlagunda taluk, heavy rains over the past four to five days have caused significant damage to onion crops, worth lakhs of rupees. Farmer Arjuna Gowda Balana Gowda invested approximately Rs 2 lakh to cultivate onions on 8 acres of land. Just as the crop was ready for harvest, torrential rains flooded his fields, leading to losses estimated at around Rs 10 lakh. The farmer has appealed to the government for compensation.
MLA NH Konareddy visited the affected area along with officials to assess the damage. He reported substantial losses in the Bennihalla region and mentioned that the government has already allocated Rs 200 crore for relief efforts. Work is expected to begin in five to six months.
Deputy Commissioner Divya Prabhu provided additional context, stating that from October 1 to 14, 25,525 hectares of both agricultural and horticultural crops in the district were damaged due to the rains. Specifically, 24,950 hectares of agricultural crops and 575 hectares of horticulture crops were affected. Notably, Navlagunda taluk saw the most damage, with 8,950 hectares impacted, followed by Kundagola and Annigeri.
Overall, October has seen a total of 34,303.85 hectares of various crops affected in the region, raising concerns about the agricultural viability in these areas.
