Karnataka’s Summer Crops Face Significant Decline in Area Sown

The state of Karnataka has witnessed a sharp decline in the area sown under summer crops this season, as reported by the state agriculture department. The current area under summer crops stands at 137,000 hectares, reflecting a 57.7% decrease compared to the previous year.

Notably, the acreage under paddy has plummeted by 80.5%, with only 41,000 hectares sown this season against the target of 380,500 hectares. Additionally, the cultivation of chana has seen a revival with 1,000 hectares sown, compared to none in the previous year.

Karnataka, known for being a major maize producer, has witnessed a decrease in maize cultivation to 19,000 hectares. The state aims to sow maize across 54,000 hectares in the current season.

Moreover, the state’s wheat stocks, managed by the Food Corp of India (FCI), have recorded a 14% decline year-on-year, with stocks totaling 13.2 million tonnes as of February 1. The government’s efforts to sell wheat through various schemes have contributed to depleting the central pool of food grains.

FCI recently achieved a milestone by selling a record 478,000 tonnes of wheat through its open market sales scheme. The total food grain stocks, including wheat and rice, held by FCI on February 1, amounted to 34.3 million tonnes, reflecting a slight decrease from the previous month.