Though Vijayapura district is still reeling under scorching heat, as May is about to end and monsoon, which normally arrives in the first week of June, about to set in, farmers are preparing land for sowing operations for the coming kharif season.
Along with farmers, the Department of Agriculture is also making the required arrangements for taking up farming activities when the district starts receiving monsoon showers.
According to officials, they have set a target 4.88 lakh hectares of land as sowing area this year. Of this, 39,000 hectares have been set aside for maize, 20,000 hectares for bajra, 300 hectares for millets, while 2.75 lakh hectares have been earmarked for tur.
The district, meanwhile, has received some amount of showers during the pre-monsoon season. Though officials say that pre-monsoon rain may not of much help to farmers who are preparing land for sowing, horticulture farmers feel that the rain will bring some relief to their crops.
For the kharif season, since tur is the major crop, farmers, at present, are preparing their land as the crop is essentially dependent on rainfall.
Farmers are using tractors and bullocks for tilling and preparing land for the season. Since a large area in the district is still rain-fed, farmers cultivate such crops that require rainwater. They include tur and maize. Those who have irrigation facility opt for other crops, including sugarcane, that require a good amount of water.
Amid this, the department officials said that they have already procured adequate quantity of seeds and fertilizers. Seeds would be sold through the Raita Samparka Kendras in the district.
The officials said that 5,200 quintals of tur and 7,000 quintals of other seeds have been procured. Besides, 79,000 tonnes of fertilizers have also been procured. The distribution of seeds and fertilizers is expected to commence in the district in the first week of June.
Farmers are hoping for a good monsoon this year to recover losses they incurred last year either due to floods or drought.
