Uneven rain in K’taka adds to farmers’ woes

Bengaluru: Karnataka received 363 millimetre rainfall between June 1 and 19, a 54% increase over the normal mark, and the meteorological department forecasts wide-spread rains between June 23 and 27, raising apprehensions of the farmers who are hoping to have a better harvest this year to recoup the losses due to the Covid-induced lockdown

Bengaluru: Karnataka received 363 millimetre rainfall between June 1 and 19, a 54% increase over the normal mark, and the meteorological department forecasts wide-spread rains between June 23 and 27, raising apprehensions of the farmers who are hoping to have a better harvest this year to recoup the losses due to the Covid-induced lockdown.

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Data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Bengaluru shows that the rainfall has been heavy over some areas and scarce over others, leaving an unequal distribution pattern.

Farmers and union members said they are left with little hope with inconsistent monsoon conditions and the government not extending enough support, apart from exploitation by middlemen and agents who take away the lion’s share of the retail price.

Ramkrishne Gowda, a small farmer in Pandavapura in Mandya district, is wary of what the future holds for him and his family as the region has received deficit rainfall and he has already lost one set of crops this year.

“Just when beans and tomato were ripe for plucking, we got Covid-19. And no one came to our fields to work and almost the entire produce was lost. Even to clean the fields now, we need ₹1 lakh,” Gowda said.

Though the farming community was allowed to operate during the lockdown, the closure of markets meant a sharp dip in prices, forcing many to sell their produce on the streets at throwaway prices.

He said that the entire family of four was hospitalised after contracting Covid-19 and had expenses of around ₹2 lakh to procure life-saving medicines. His pending expenses include ₹50,000 to pay his sister’s engineering college fees, and ₹1 lakh to clean the 3-acre land parcel, getting more seeds, fertilizers. He hopes that there is some consistency in rainfall.

“For the last two years we have only taken loans but are yet to see any profits. Last year we took loans of ₹1.5 lakh for sowing tomato and other crops. But we didn’t even get ₹5000 profit. We are now borrowing more money to pay off interests,” Gowda said. His family sold the three cows they had for ₹30,000 each. “We are still unable to make ends meet.”

The Covid-19 induced lockdown also saw a reverse migration of sorts when those who left to cities for better employment and education opportunities, were seen heading back to their home-towns and villages due to the uncertainty, adding to the pressure on already small land holdings.

Farmers’ unions in the state said that the payment for crops covered under minimum support price (MSP) has not been made.

“We are yet to release all the funds for MSP. The chief minister released around ₹200 crore last week and we will be releasing more in the coming days,” said BC Patil, Karnataka’s minister for agriculture.

Patil said that last year was hard due to the lockdown but this time around there was provision between 6-10 am for people to sell their produce, which farmers said did not help as the cost of diesel, transport, seeds, fertilisers and other input costs have gone up in recent days, making the trip almost unviable for producers.

“In Punjab there is a rule that anyone buying or selling below MSP can be jailed. We in Karnataka also need similar laws to protect our farmers at least to help get minimum income. We are still not talking about profits,” said Kodihalli Chandrashekar, president of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) or state farmers’ union. “There is rain now, but if it intensifies, it could destroy crops.”

In May, chief minister BS Yediyurappa announced a ₹1250-crore financial package, aimed to provide relief to unorganised workers and the farming community.

The financial package involves a one-time payment of ₹10,000 for about 20,000 flower growers and 69,000 farmers who produce fruits and vegetables, costing the exchequer around ₹81.73 crore. The package also included the extension of the period of loans availed by around 425,000 farmers and others by three months.

Farmers’ unions said that they are yet to receive the money and even when they do, it would do little to alleviate their suffering.

“On one hand prices for essential commodities are skyrocketing and on the other, farmers are not even getting the cost of production. This is a perfect example of market failure,” said Prakash Kammardi, farm expert and former chairman of the Karnataka Agricultural Price Commission.

“An imperfect market structure where middlemen can exhibit their overplay is becoming very dominant,” he said.