Rain Deficit Delays Kharif Sowing in Karnataka
21-Jul-2025 07:28 PM
Bangalore. Due to lack of monsoon rains in some parts of Karnataka, an important agricultural producer state of South India, the pace of sowing of Kharif crops has slowed down and its area has fallen behind by 57 thousand hectares from last year. According to the data of the state agriculture department, this time till July 18, the total production area of Kharif crops in Karnataka has got stuck at 57.81 lakh hectares, whereas last year it was 58.38 lakh hectares.
According to the agriculture department, during the current Kharif season, compared to last year, the total area of grain crops including paddy in Karnataka improved from 18.51 lakh hectares to 19.15 lakh hectares, but the sowing area of pulses decreased from 20.40 lakh hectares to 18 lakh hectares and the area of oilseeds fell from 6.72 lakh hectares to 6.10 lakh hectares.
In cash or industrial crops, cotton production area increased from 6.13 lakh hectares to 7.13 lakh hectares and sugarcane area increased from 5.86 lakh hectares to 6.63 lakh hectares. Karnataka is the third largest producer of sugarcane and sugar in the country.
In the category of pulses crops, the production area of pigeon pea or tuvar had earlier gone ahead from last year but now it has come down from 14.70 lakh hectares to 12.22 lakh hectares. The area of black gram improved from 89 thousand hectares to 94 thousand hectares but the area of moong remained stable at 4.11 lakh hectares.
In oilseed crops, soybean production area fell from 4.29 lakh hectares to 4.09 lakh hectares and groundnut sowing area decreased from 1.78 lakh hectares to 1.34 lakh hectares.
On the other hand, the area under sesame improved from 13 thousand hectares to 14 thousand hectares and the area under sunflower improved from 48 thousand hectares to 50 thousand hectares.
It has started raining in some parts of Karnataka now, due to which not only the pace of sowing of Kharif crops is likely to increase but the condition of the crops sown earlier is also expected to improve. Tuvar, green gram, maize and sugarcane are produced on a large scale in Karnataka.