Two years of ‘abnormal monsoon’ puts North Karnataka farmers in crisis: Report
Hubballi: Two consecutive years of excessive monsoon rainfall have pushed farmers across North Interior Karnataka (NIK) into severe distress, with the region recording significantly more rainy days than South Interior Karnataka (SIK) and other parts of the state.
Karnataka recorded 149 rainy days in 2025, making it the state’s third-wettest year in the last five years. While NIK logged 102 rainfall days in 2025 and 108 in 2024, South Interior SIK reported 89 and 97 rain days during the same period. The coastal and Malnad regions, meanwhile, experienced their usual average of around 160 rainy days, as reported by Deccan Herald on Sunday.
The prolonged wet spell has severely affected dry-agriculture crops of north Karnataka region, especially tur, green gram, and maize.
Data from the agriculture department, cited by DH, shows that nearly 13.65 lakh hectares of farmland were impacted this monsoon, with 70% of the damage concentrated in Kalaburagi, Yadgir, Vijaypur, Gadag, Bagalkot, Bidar and Dharwad districts.
Farmers are grappling not only with waterlogged fields but also crop infections triggered by continuous rain. Tur, a staple crop across the seven NIK districts, has been struck by phytophthora stem blight, macrophomina blight and dry root rot diseases.
Mallikarjun Kenganal, senior plant pathology scientist, said excessive rainfall has also led to nutrient leaching, forcing farmers to spend more on cultivating crops. “The long duration of rains has also adversely impacted crop growth. Tur, which had to flower by now and get harvested by December, is still in vegetative stage,” DH quoted him as saying. He added the state could witness at least 50% lower yield of tur this year.
The excess rainfall will not only raise cultivation costs for farmers but also contribute to higher food inflation.
Climate variability and shifting wind patterns are among the factors behind the increasing number of rainy days in north Karnataka. “Monsoon arrived in Karnataka much before its usual first week of June. Rains have continued till October. In a normal rainfall year, the state used to record 65-70 days of rainfall. However, this year, it has been higher in all four regions,” DH quoted N. Puviarasan, head, Bengaluru Meteorological Centre, as saying.
Karnataka cultivates kharif crops on 81.22 lakh hectares, of which more than 13.65 lakh hectares have suffered damage this year. Tur fields, spread across 5.36 lakh hectares, are the worst affected, followed by cotton (2.68 lakh ha), green gram (2.63 lakh ha), maize (1.21 lakh ha) and soybean (97,810 ha).
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Chhattisgarh: Couple, two grandchildren killed over 'property' dispute; two relatives held
Janjgir (Chhattisgarh) (PTI): An elderly couple and their two grandchildren were allegedly murdered by two close relatives to grab family property in Chhattisgarh’s Janjgir-Champa district, police said on Thursday.
The couple’s one son, who had earlier spent 15 years in jail for killing his own brother, and his son have been taken into custody in connection with the murders, an official said.
The bodies were found inside their under-construction house in Bhanvtara village under the jurisdiction of the Shivrinarayan police station after labourers reached the site for work in the morning, a senior police official said.
The deceased were identified as Medani Prasad Kashyap (70), his wife Kanti Bai (65), their grandchildren Pitambar Kashyap (17) and Mogra (25).
The deceased couple’s son, Sonsai, and his son Dakeshwar have been taken into custody in connection with the murders, the official said.
According to the preliminary investigation, Medani Prasad had three sons, including Sonsai. Police said Sonsai had murdered one of his brothers in the past and had served a 15-year jail term in the case, while the couple’s third son had reportedly died by suicide.
Sonsai and his son Dakeshwar, alias Golu, allegedly killed his parents and the children of his two deceased brothers with an axe while they were asleep in the under-construction house, he said.
Pitambar was the only son of one deceased brother, while Mogra was the only daughter of another, the official said.
The accused allegedly wanted sole ownership of the family property and are suspected of having committed the crime to eliminate other claimants, police said.
A case has been registered, and further investigation is underway, the official added.
