Kotturu farmers are spending Rs 5,000 a day on water tankers to save crops amid failed monsoon and winter rains. Farmers have planted sunflower, maize, jowar and ragi across thousands of hectares, but prolonged dry conditions are damaging crops.
The government is on the verge of declaring a drought as the region continues to face a severe rainfall deficit. Meanwhile, farmers in Kotturu taluk are taking desperate measures to save whatever remains of their crops. With both the monsoon and winter rains failing, several farmers have been forced to hire water tankers to keep their fields alive, despite the heavy financial burden.
Farmer Gangadhara from Nimbalagere village is among those struggling to protect his crops. With little or no rainfall, he is spending Rs 5,000 every day to hire a water tanker and supply water to his fields. Despite the expense, he remains uncertain whether his efforts will be enough to secure a harvest.
Sunflower, Maize And Jowar Sowing
Farmers across the taluk had planted sunflower, maize and jowar on nearly 30,000 hectares of land. While the crops had begun sprouting in some areas, the prolonged absence of rainfall has left many fields severely affected, with several crops now drying up.
Adequate monsoon rainfall is relatively uncommon in the Kotturu belt, where farmers traditionally depend on winter rains to support their crops. However, this year, both the monsoon and winter rains have failed.
Crops sown during the monsoon initially survived on the limited moisture available in the soil. However, continued dry conditions and intense sunlight have caused the crops to wither rapidly.
Farmers are now hiring tractors and water tankers in an attempt to save the crops that are still surviving. Gangadhara is spending Rs 5,000 a day on tanker water to protect his field, a costly measure that has offered some hope to other farmers facing a similar situation.
Will The Crop Survive Or Not?
Gangadhara is worried about what lies ahead. He said he had relied on the winter rains before sowing ragi on his 12-acre agricultural land.
“I trusted the winter rains and planted ragi on my 12 acres of agricultural land. We have seen no rain so far, and the sun is beating down hard. I could not watch my crop die, so I started spending Rs 5,000 a day on tanker water. But I still have a big doubt about whether I will actually get the harvest in my hands,” he said.
Worry About Future Survival
Gurubasavaraja, a farmer from Ujjini, said many farmers were facing a similar situation and were turning to water tankers to protect their crops.
“We are turning to water tankers to save our crops. But this cannot provide the plants with the full moisture they need. We depend entirely on the rain. Figuring out how to survive the coming days is our biggest problem right now,” he said.