Pulses in four lakh hectares face crop damage in Karnataka due to relentless rains
Dharwad: Incessant rains have put Karnataka’s pulse crops, particularly green gram and black gram, at serious risk, threatening livelihoods across central and northern parts of the state.
According to Agriculture Department estimates, reported by Deccan Herald on Monday, crops sown across nearly four lakh hectares are under threat of damage as harvest season collides with heavy August showers.
Following early rains in mid-May, farmers in districts such as Dharwad, Belagavi, Haveri, Gadag, and Bagalkot had taken up early sowing of pulses. But what began as a promising season has now turned into a crisis, with widespread crop waterlogging and damage during a crucial harvest window.
During this kharif season, green gram was cultivated across 23.16 lakh hectares in Karnataka, with nearly 70% of the area concentrated in central and northern districts. In many areas, the crop is now standing in stagnant water, unable to be harvested. Black gram, grown over 11.46 lakh hectares statewide, with a sizable share also in the rain-affected regions, is similarly at risk. Officials estimate that up to 15% of the black gram crop may be damaged.
“Last year too, August rains ruined the harvest and we managed barely 50% yield. The situation is no different this year. Nearly 60% of the crop is standing in water and facing damage,” DH quoted Mallikarjun Hiremath, a farmer from Yadwad who has cultivated 20 acres of green gram and black gram, as saying.
Basangouda Malipatil, a farmer from Nargund, shared his distress over successive losses. He said the crops had been healthy and a bumper harvest was expected, but heavy rains in August wiped out everything. “It is harvest time, yet continuous rains are preventing us from even entering the fields,” he lamented.
Meanwhile, the poor harvest outlook is already pushing up green gram prices in APMCs, where rates have surged to Rs 9,000 per quintal. Market experts anticipate further price hikes if the crop damage continues, the report added.
The situation isn’t limited to pulses. Soya and maize crops are also under threat, deepening concerns for Karnataka’s agrarian economy.
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PM to lay stone of north India's first semiconductor unit, open Namo Bharat corridor in UP next week
Lucknow (PTI): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of north India's first semiconductor manufacturing unit in Gautam Buddh Nagar and inaugurate the Namo Bharat rapid rail corridor along with the Meerut Metro next week, marking major milestones in the state's infrastructure push.
Speaking in the Legislative Council during the Budget Session on Monday, Adityanath said Uttar Pradesh today has "excellent connectivity by water, land and air", and highlighted the prime minister's upcoming engagements in the state.
He said the foundation stone of the semiconductor unit in Gautam Buddh Nagar would be laid on February 21, terming it a significant step towards making the state a hub for high-technology manufacturing.
On February 22, Modi will inaugurate the remaining stretches of the 82-km Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Namo Bharat corridor, connecting Sarai Kale Khan in Delhi with Modipuram in Meerut, he said.
Alongside, the 23-km Meerut Metro corridor with 13 stations will also be launched.
According to officials, the remaining sections include a 5-km stretch in Delhi between Sarai Kale Khan and New Ashok Nagar, and a 21-km stretch from Meerut South to Modipuram.
The 82-km corridor comprises key stations such as Sarai Kale Khan, Anand Vihar, Ghaziabad, Guldhar, Muradnagar, Modinagar South, Modinagar North and Meerut South, forming the backbone of the regional rapid transit system connecting major residential, commercial and industrial clusters.
Recalling the pre-2017 situation, Adityanath said it earlier took around three hours to travel from Meerut to Delhi and even then security was not guaranteed.
"Today, the distance between Delhi and Meerut can be covered in about 45 minutes through the 12-lane highway, and with the rapid rail, it will be further streamlined," he said, adding that law and order had significantly improved.
Adityanath said Uttar Pradesh accounts for 55 per cent of the country's total expressway network and has the largest railway network in India. The state currently has a network of 22 expressways, of which seven are operational, five are under construction and work on 10 others is underway, he added.
He said metro services are running on six corridors in the state, and the Meerut corridor will be inaugurated by the prime minister on February 22.
Highlighting inland waterways, the chief minister said the Varanasi-Haldia waterway has been developed, with terminals at Ramnagar, Chandauli, Mirzapur and Ghazipur being upgraded.
He also said that when his government assumed office, only two airports were fully operational in the state and two were partially functional.
"Today, there are 16 airports in Uttar Pradesh, including four international airports, while the fifth international airport at Jewar is ready," he said, adding that efforts are on to take the project forward this month with the prime minister's participation.
The country's first Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) hub is also being established at Jewar, he added, underlining the state's emergence as a major connectivity and logistics hub.
