Amid drought, maize farmers stare at bleak prospects in Karnataka's Hassan

HASSAN: Severe drought conditions have resulted in widespread crop loss in Hassan district. The district administration has estimated the crop loss at Rs 724.4 crore.

Despite many farmers switching over from potato cultivation to maize, their lot has not improved. Over the last decade potato crops were being blighted by Angamari, a plant disease, making the switchover a must for many.

But drought has spoiled their plans.

Jayaramegowda in Dudda village is crestfallen after losing his maize crop in three acres. He had taken a loan of Rs 1.5 lakh from a commercial bank as well as Rs 1 lakh from money lenders five months ago. He has no other income to clear the loan. He was hoping that a good yield would get him around Rs 2.50 lakh but drought has dealt him a hard blow.

Now he is waiting for crop loss compensation from government. He blamed successive governments for not instituting a mechanism for scientific compensation for crop loss for farmers.

Jayaramegowda is not alone.

Hanumaiah, Krishnappa, Raganna, Dyavanna, Subbaswamy, Savitramma and Kariaiah are a few of the farmers with below five acres land holdings in Dudda and hit by crop loss due to the ongoing dry spell. All had sowed maize. They said they did not enter the fields once sowing was completed due to poor rain. The entire crop turned fodder for the cattle.

Subbaswamy and Krishnappa, who have one-and-half acres each, said they switched to maize from potato due to continuous crop loss. They have spent Rs 70,000 each so far but are yet to get a single rupee from the field.

Potato cultivation in the district has come down from more than 2.50 lakh hectares a decade ago to 5,499 hectares in recent years. Sources in the Office of the Joint Director for Agriculture said that maize was sown over 1,83,556 hectares against a target of 2,86,186 hectares.

And 64.14 percent of the maize cultivation has been destroyed.

Interestingly, farmers left 1,02,630 hectares unsown due to dry spell in the district.

To investigate the extent of crop loss a team of agriculture scientists, officers and farmer representatives surveyed the infected areas in the district. More than 50 percent of the maize cultivation was lost in August.

The impact of drought goes beyond crop loss, especially in rural areas. In many areas there is shortage of drinking water. Tap water supply is limited to once in two days in many urban and rural areas.

Most of the tanks, small and major ones, are getting dry and it may impact the cattle population in the region in coming days. The district administration has set up cow shelters in parts of Arasikere, Channarayapatna and Belur taluk where enough fodder is available to combat the situation.

Villages in Javagal, Gandas and Banavara hoblies of Arasikere taluk, Nuggehalli hobli in Channarayapatna and Hallimysuru hobli in Arkalgud taluk may face acute shortage of drinking water if rain deficit continues.

Sources in the district administration said that water will be supplied through tankers if the situation becomes worse in remote villages. Sources also said that fodder is available for the next two months in the district.

Meanwhile, a central study team has visited the affected fields in Hassan, Sakleshpur, Belur and Arasikere taluk to take stock of the situation in the district.