Red gram farmers watch saplings wilt, hope wither as Karnataka awaits rains

The delayed and inadequate southwest monsoon has left thousands of farmers across Kalyana Karnataka staring at an uncertain kharif season. Kalaburagi, India’s pulses bowl, is likely to see a sharp decline in production if the monsoon fails to revive over the next fortnight.

Owing to the inadequate rainfall, as against the targeted 8.9 lakh hectares, only 30% of sowing had been achieved by June-end. In 2025, it was 63% during the corresponding period.

Red gram, the district’s principal crop, has been sown on only 1.3 lakh hectares as against the target of 6.3 lakh hectares. There is also a sharp decline in the sowing of black gram and green gram. The district recorded only 69.2 mm of rainfall in June as against the normal 107.3 mm, leaving farmers hesitant to sow.

Sudarshan Reddy, of Kallur village in Chincholi taluk, is yet to sow red gram on his 40 acres. “If there is no rain for the next two weeks, I will have to abandon red gram and switch to chickpea or jowar,” he said.

Other crops

According to farmer leader Sharanabasappa Mamshetti, while there is still some time left for red gram, the opportunity to sow green gram and black gram has virtually been lost.

The picture is equally bleak in Raichur and Yadgir districts, where cotton and pigeon pea growers are anxiously waiting for the rains. In both districts, cotton sowing has crossed 80%, and the plants are in dire need of moisture.

“I have sown cotton on five acres. Most of it has dried up. All we can do now is just wait for rain,” said Chandrashekhar Gowda Bilwar of Hadanur village in Yadgir district.

Farmers have begun preparing to re-sow wherever germination has failed but are unwilling to risk another investment until the rains return.

Sugarcane farmers

The distress extends beyond pulses. Along the Bhima basin, sugarcane cultivated on nearly 1 lakh acres is showing signs of moisture stress as dwindling water availability threatens a crop that demands year-round investment.

Agriculture officials have activated contingency plans, as Joint Director of Agriculture Samad Patel said farmers are being advised to switch to maize or sunflower.

With sowing windows narrowing and the crop establishment already delayed, agricultural scientists and farmer organisations say the next fortnight will be decisive for the region’s kharif prospects.