Agriculture thrives despite persistent rains in Ballari

Ballari

 The district has been receiving good rains for the past week, prompting farmers to step up their agricultural activities. After the full moon of the harvest season, farmers used to prepare the land for sowing by mixing cow dung. The recent rains have created favorable conditions for sowing of cotton, cottonseed, cottonseed meal, cottonseed meal and sunflower.

Agricultural tools that were stored in the corners of houses have come out. Farmers are busy sowing seeds. Since it has been raining, they are cleaning the rain-fed lands and sowing seeds. Farmers who have irrigated land are busy with agricultural activities, including cleaning the plants and weeds growing on the land and mixing manure.

The district's farmer contact centers have stocks of Sajje, Navane, Thogari, and sunflower seeds for sowing in rainfed lands. There is a stock of RNR and Sonamsuri varieties of rice seeds for sowing in irrigated lands. Most of the agricultural equipment vendors have stocked large quantities of seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides. As the Agriculture Department is ready to supply seeds at discounted rates, there will be no shortage for farmers this year, said Joint Director of Agriculture T Somasunder.

The district has a normal annual rainfall of 599.5 mm, and it received 53.6 mm till May 20 last year. Currently, it has received 88.4 mm of rainfall, which is about 64 percent more than the normal rainfall. The target area for sowing in the district for the monsoon season is 1,63,753 hectares, with paddy being sown in 89,000 ha, maize in 20,000 ha, cotton in 35,000 ha, sorghum in 4,500 ha, jowar in 5,000 ha, groundnut in 2,500 ha, pulses in 2,300 ha, sunflower in 1,000 ha and sugarcane in 1,000 ha, he informed. 

Most of the agricultural equipment vendors have stocked large quantities of seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides. As the Agriculture Department is ready to supply seeds at discounted rates, there will be no shortage for farmers this year, said Joint Director of Agriculture T Somasunder.