This year, the district has experienced a 35 percent reduction in its regular average rainfall, significantly impacting crops such as paddy, chilli, pomegranates, and figs in the region.
Following a thorough assessment, the district administration has identified 73,813 hectares of agricultural land as drought-affected. The administration has reported a staggering loss of crops worth Rs 569 crore, marking the highest recorded losses in the past decade for the district.
All 14 taluks in the district have been officially declared as drought-hit areas, as confirmed by a senior government official. State and district officials have conducted a joint drought survey, which will continue until September 30. It is expected that the final figures regarding the extent of drought-affected areas may vary slightly.
According to the Union government’s guidelines, a crop is only declared as lost if the damage exceeds 33 percent. Once the crop loss report is submitted, the state government forwards it to the Union government, leading to a visit from a central team to assess the situation on the ground.
Notably, cotton across 26,556 hectares, chilli over 12,782 hectares, paddy spanning 26,963 hectares, and more than 5,899 hectares of horticulture crops have been severely affected by the drought.
Srinivas Reddy, a farmer from Kurugodu, expressed his concerns, emphasizing that paddy cultivation has suffered a devastating 90 percent loss this year. Reddy and fellow farmers have urged officials conducting the survey to expedite arrangements for the central team’s visit to their taluk. They highlighted the urgency of timely compensation release, given the loans they have taken, to ensure their ability to lead a normal life.