Mysuru: With the southwest monsoon continuing to play hide-and-seek, farmers in Mysuru district have shifted to cultivating less water-intensive and drought-resistant crops such as ragi and maize across large tracts of land.Following advisories from district and state authorities to limit paddy cultivation, farmers are preparing to sow ragi, maize and pulses even on irrigated lands. The agriculture department has increased the ragi cultivation target to 79,998 hectares this year from 62,000 hectares last year.The area under maize cultivation has also increased to 49,450 hectares from 42,000 hectares last year. By mid-July, sowing had been completed on 1.6 lakh hectares, accounting for 42% of the district’s target of 3.7 lakh hectares, due to deficient rainfall.Until recent years, Mysuru district was known for cotton cultivation in the rain-fed areas of HD Kote, Saragur, Hunsur, Periyapatna and parts of Nanjangud and Saligrama taluks. The agriculture department had set a target of cultivating cotton on 50,000 to 55,000 hectares. However, the area under cotton cultivation has been shrinking steadily over the past five years because of declining rainfall during the crucial sowing season.With the district recording a rainfall deficit of 53% in June this year, farmers managed to sow cotton on only 7,090 hectares against the target of 25,495 hectares, according to agriculture department sources. Last year, cotton was cultivated on 32,035 hectares in the district. This year, only 27% of the cultivation target has been achieved.Despite efforts to restrict the expansion of tobacco and other commercial crops, the department has targeted flue-cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco cultivation on 63,500 hectares in HD Kote, Hunsur, Periyapatna and parts of KR Nagar and Saligrama taluks.Speaking to TOI, joint director of agriculture KH Ravi said the department has been encouraging farmers to take up ragi, maize and other drought-resistant crops such as pulses instead of paddy this year, both in irrigated and rain-fed areas, as irrigation water has not been released. He said the department has stocked adequate quantities of seeds and fertilisers to meet farmers’ requirements.Farmer leader Attahalli Devaraj said, “A quintal of ragi is currently fetching around Rs 5,000 in the market, while maize is priced at around Rs 3,000 to Rs 3,200 per quintal. Since both crops also provide fodder for livestock and offer remunerative returns, an increasing number of farmers in Mysuru district are taking up ragi and maize cultivation. These crops are also less water-intensive.”
