Crop damage affecting 5.30 lakh hectares has been recorded in Belagavi district following the failure of the current monsoon season. Of this total, 5.04 lakh hectares of agricultural crops and 26,000 hectares of horticultural crops have been damaged. The government has declared all 15 talukas in the district as drought-affected, with the sole exception of Hukkeri.
Officials from the Agriculture, Horticulture, and Revenue departments recently conducted joint inspections of the agricultural lands in the declared drought-affected talukas. The estimated total damage stands at ₹3,966 crore, comprising ₹3,742 crore for agricultural crops and ₹224 crore for horticultural crops. However, officers have submitted a proposal to the government seeking relief funds of ₹680 crore for agricultural farmers and ₹37 crore for horticultural farmers, in accordance with National Disaster Response Fund guidelines.
Farmers had sown 7.40 lakh hectares of agricultural crops and 42,000 hectares of horticultural crops after receiving good early monsoon rains, but they are now in distress due to the lack of expected rainfall. Among agricultural crops, sugarcane, soybean, maize, paddy, groundnut, urad, tur, cotton, and peanut crops were damaged, with sugarcane suffering the most. In horticulture, onion crops faced the highest damage, followed by cabbage, cauliflower, and potato.
Mahantesh Muragoode, Joint Director of the Horticulture Department in Belagavi, stated that the government will release funds as per the proposal submitted for relief under the National Disaster Response Fund guidelines. The precise area of damaged agricultural crops is 5,04,294 hectares, while the damaged horticultural area is 26,656 hectares.
