With monsoon rains failing across Kalyana Karnataka, farmers and labourers are abandoning fields, migrating to cities, and demanding drought relief from the state government.
Every morning, farmers across Kalyana Karnataka step into their fields hoping for rain. Instead, they face cracked soil, withering crops and empty skies. With the southwest monsoon failing and reservoirs running low, despair has set in. Families are now migrating to Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune in search of work.
Crops sown with hope are drying up, leaving agricultural labourers without employment. Farmer leaders say migration is no longer limited to labourers but includes small and medium farmers unable to sustain themselves.
Crops Damaged, Seeds Fail To Germinate
Many farmers had sown soybean, pulses and other rain-fed crops expecting normal showers. Fertilisers were purchased in advance, some at higher prices due to fears of supply disruptions. But rains never arrived. In several places, seeds failed to germinate. Elsewhere, crops stopped growing and are drying due to lack of soil moisture.
Reservoirs, another source of irrigation, are also running low. With the government prioritising drinking water, irrigation has become uncertain. Farmers in some areas have already begun removing damaged crops.
Migration And Calls For Relief
Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha – Hasiru Sene president Madhava Reddy said migration has already begun. “People from Ballari, Yadgir, Raichur and nearby districts have started leaving for Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune and other places. Small and medium farmers are also migrating,” he said.
He urged the state government to declare the region drought-hit to provide immediate relief. Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha Kalaburagi district president Sharanabasappa Mamashetti echoed the demand, saying most crops are damaged and farmers face mounting losses. “The government should provide seeds and fertilisers free of cost because this is clearly a drought situation,” he said.
Farmers Demand Government Action
K Mastan Nayaka, state president of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha Hagu Krishi Abhivridhi Sene, said sowing of cotton, green gram, beans and paddy should have been completed a month ago, but the season has slipped away. He noted that protests helped secure water release from Narayanapura reservoir, offering relief to parts of Raichur, but the situation remains grim elsewhere.
In villages like Hoogana Halli in Raichur, over half the residents have migrated. Some families admitted children to schools in cities where they moved.
Farmers are staging protests across Kalyana Karnataka, demanding the state government declare affected districts drought-hit, compensate crop losses, supply seeds and fertilisers free of cost, and ensure employment to prevent further migration.