The near-normal monsoon across most of Karnataka so far has raised hopes of higher foodgrain output for the year 2011-12. Sowing operations were satisfactory during the first two months of the current kharif season. Though the sown area was 17 per cent less than the normal coverage at 4.4 million hectares as on July 31, the agriculture department expects to achieve the target of 14 million tonnes (mt) for 2011-12, a growth of 9.3 per cent over last year’s output.
The normal coverage as on July 31 is 5.3 million hectares. As on July 31, sowing status was above normal in seven districts, normal in 16 and below normal in seven.
However, compared to the corresponding period last year, the sowing coverage was down 18.5 per cent. Last year, as on date, the total area sown for all crops was 5.4 million hectares.
“We have set a target of 7.46 million hectares to be covered in this kharif, an increase of 2.9 per cent over last year. Of this, 5.15 million hectares will be covered under foodgrain and 1.37 million hectares for oilseeds, 398,000 hectares under sugarcane, 412,000 hectares for cotton and 123,000 hectares under tobacco,” an agriculture department official said.
For the full year 2011-12, the department has set a target of covering 11.54 million hectares under various food crops and commercial crops, an increase of 7.3 per cent over the previous year.
The state has pegged the production of foodgrain during 2011-12 (kharif and rabi) at 14 mt, a growth of 9.3 per cent over 12.8 mt produced last year. For the kharif season alone, the production of foodgrain is pegged at 9.22 mt.
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During the period from June 1 to August 5, the state as a whole recorded an actual amount of 477 mm rainfall, as against the normal rainfall of 488 mm, a shortage of 2.2 per cent. While 27 districts received normal rainfall, three districts witnessed deficit rainfall during the period. The rainfall pattern in north-interior Karnataka was better than south-interior Karnataka. It was normal in coastal areas and near-normal in the Malnad belt, according to data compiled by the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre.
During the first two months of the kharif season, total sowing for foodgrains was completed in 2.79 million hectares, which is 84 per cent of the normal coverage area. The total sowing for oilseeds was completed in 759,000 hectares, about 58 per cent of the normal coverage. The sowing for cash crops witnessed a phenomenal growth of 139 per cent, at 843,000 hectares, as against the normal coverage of 605,000 hectares.
| BALANCE SHEET Current acreage and targets for various kharif crops | |||||
| CROP | Normal acreage for season (ha) | Sowing as of Aug 4 (ha) | Sowing in last comparable period (ha) | Acreage target for kharif (ha) | Production target for kharif (tonnes) |
| Paddy | 2.6 million | 741,011 | 801,221 | 2.87 million | 9.1 million |
| Groundnut | 1.29 million | 817,855 | 1.25 million | 1.4 million | 1.53 million |
| Cotton | 1.35 million | 1.57 million | 1.59 million | 1.95 million | 6.02 (mn bales) |
| Maize | 500,000 | 409,419 | 412,773 | 500,000 | 1.97 million |
| Sugarcane | 211,000 | 190,038 | 176,735 | 170,000 | 13.98 million |
| Chillies | 161,000 | 19,230 | 38,195 | 150,000 | 622,000 |
| Soybean | 123,000 | 152,382 | 133,928 | 140,000 | 277,000 |
| Sunflower | 93,000 | 7,931 | 21,695 | 100,000 | 64,000 |
| Ragi | 44,000 | 28,287 | 29,027 | 50,000 | 61,000 |
Rice, ragi and maize are the three major crops under cereals in the state and account for 82 per cent of the total targeted area at 2.9 million hectares. So far, the sowing for rice has been satisfactory at 83 per cent of the normal coverage at 359,000 hectares. Maize sowing has been done in about 936,000 hectares, 117 per cent of normal coverage as on July 31.