Officials to undertake survey to assess crop loss in C’nagar

Mysuru: The district administration in Chamarajanagar has directed the officials to conduct a joint survey to assess crop loss due to scanty rainfall. As the district has recorded a 30 per cent shortage of rainfall during the crucial months of June and July after kharif sowing, the survey gains significance. As per the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) reports, the district was facing a rain deficit of 30 per cent leading to crop loss, decline in crop yield as standing crops have withered, which would also impact the productivity of the crop if the dry spell continues like this.The district has received only 96mm of rainfall as against the average rainfall of 138mm from June till first week of August, according to the KSNDMC reports.The district had received a record 248mm of rainfall during the corresponding period last year leading to floods. Earlier, the rainfall had led to filling of over 290 major and minor lakes across the district. But this year, the situation is bleak without much rain.The district has registered only 42 per cent of sowing during this Kharif season. As against the target of 1,17, 897 hectares of land, sowing was completed only on 49,867 hectares by the first week of August.Drone survey of crops doneThough the district had conducted a drone survey of standing crop loss in both agriculture and horticulture land last month, the administration has now initiated a joint survey by a team, comprising officials from agriculture, horticulture departments and agricultural scientists from Haradanahalli Krishi Vignan Kendra. Deputy commissioner Shilpa Naga has also given directions to tahsildars to oversee the joint survey, complete the same within a week and submit a report to the district admiration which will be sent to higher authorities of the government, sources said.During the preliminary survey conducted by the agriculture department, standing crops like sunflower, cotton, maize, pulses sown by farmers in around 23, 084 hectares of land were found withering, joint director of agriculture M Madhusudhan told TOI.Crop yield will be declined by 25- 75 per cent this year due to rain deficit in June and July, he said.Speaking to TOI, Chamarajanagar additional deputy commissioner Geetha Hudeda said that the survey is beig carried out in all the taluks of the district. A report will be sent to the state revenue department after assessing the crop damage during the kharif season to take further steps in this regard, the official said.
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