Red gram farmers watch saplings wilt, hope wither as Karnataka awaits rains

The delayed and inadequate southwest monsoon has left thousands of farmers across Kalyana Karnataka staring at an uncertain kharif season. Kalaburagi, India’s pulses bowl, is likely to see a sharp decline in production if the monsoon fails to revive over the next fortnight. A farmer prepares his field with a pair of bullocks at Dabarabad village, Kalaburagi district, in anticipation of rains to begin sowing after a prolonged dry spell, on Saturday. | Photo Credit: ARUN KULKARNI Owing to the inadequate rainfall, as against the targeted 8.9 lakh hectares, only 30% of sowing had been achieved by June-end. In 2025, it was 63% during the corresponding period.Red gram, the district’s principal crop, has been sown on only 1.3 lakh hectares as against the target of 6.3 lakh hectares.

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