Karnataka assures support for Raichur farmers hit by deficient rainfall

Karnataka Minister Ajay Dharam Singh on Friday said the State government is fully prepared to extend a helping hand to farmers in Raichur district who have suffered crop damage due to acute rainfall deficiency. The Minister for Mines and Geology, who is also the district in-charge, was speaking to reporters after reviewing the drought situation at Ramadurga Cross in Gabbur Hobli, Devadurga taluk.

The Minister highlighted the worsening agricultural crisis in the district, noting that sowing had been carried out in lakhs of hectares, with cotton being the primary crop. However, owing to inadequate rainfall, farmers were forced to re-sow up to three times. Despite their repeated efforts, crops failed to thrive. Over the past week, the complete absence of rain has led to widespread crop withering, leaving the farming community in severe hardship, Dr. Singh said.

He added that along with the Deputy Commissioner and officials from the Revenue and Agriculture departments, he has been visiting every taluk to assess the ground reality first-hand. A comprehensive district-level report is being prepared and will be submitted to the Chief Minister shortly, he said.

Distressed farmers have demanded a compensation of ₹50,000 per acre. High-level consultations will be conducted soon to decide on providing the maximum possible relief package to the affected farmers, Dr. Singh said.

Raichur is one of the districts in Karnataka that receives relatively low rainfall, and agriculture here depends heavily on the southwest monsoon. This year, the monsoon has been erratic, with a significant deficit during the critical sowing and growing periods. The failure of rain during the past week has worsened the situation, causing widespread distress among cotton and other crop growers.

The Minister was accompanied by several officials and elected representatives during the review, including MLAs Shivaraj S. Patil and Basanagowda Daddal, MLC A. Vasanth Kumar, Pavan Kishore Patil, President of the Raichur Taluk Guarantee Schemes Implementation Committee, Deputy Commissioner Poovitha S, Chief Executive Officer of the Zilla Panchayat Eshwar Kumar Kandoo, Superintendent of Police Arunangshu Giri, Raichur City Corporation Commissioner Zubin Mohapatra, Assistant Commissioner Hampanna Sajjan, Tahsildar Suresh Verma, Joint Director of Agriculture Prakash Chavan, Deputy Joint Director Naheem Hussain, and Assistant Director Deepa Kulkarni, along with officials and leaders from various departments.

The State government has assured speedy action based on the assessment. Farmers in the region are hopeful that the relief package will help them recover from the severe financial loss caused by the failed crops.