Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara on Wednesday, 2 September visited drought-affected agricultural fields in Nanjangud taluk, Mysuru district, to assess crop damage caused by a prolonged monsoon deficit. The visit, the second consecutive day of Parameshwara's drought review tour of Mysuru, comes as distressed farmers in the taluk report severe financial strain following widespread crop failure.

Scale of Crop Damage

Officials on the ground briefed the Deputy CM on the extent of the agricultural crisis. Under normal conditions, Nanjangud taluk sees cultivation of cowpea across roughly 4,500 hectares, black gram on 4,200 hectares, green gram on 3,500 hectares, maize on 3,400 hectares, and cotton on approximately 8,000 hectares.

This year, however, deficient rainfall has drastically curtailed agricultural activity. Sowing has been carried out on only around 3,500 hectares across the taluk — a fraction of the usual acreage. Officials further noted that even the crops that were sown have been severely affected by the prolonged dry spell.

Farmers' Distress and Demands

During his inspection of fields in Gattawadi village, Parameshwara interacted directly with farmers, including Shivabasappa and Mahadevappa, whose maize and sunflower crops had withered due to the absence of adequate rainfall. Farmers told the Deputy CM that they had borrowed money to fund cultivation and were now staring at severe financial hardship with no viable harvest. They appealed to the government for immediate financial assistance and comprehensive relief measures to help them recover their losses.

Parameshwara sought detailed on-the-spot assessments from officials regarding rainfall data, sowing patterns, and the full extent of crop damage in the taluk. He assured the affected farmers that the government would take steps to provide relief at the earliest.

Broader Context: Cauvery Dispute and Water Stress

The drought situation in Karnataka unfolds against the backdrop of the longstanding Cauvery water dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The two states have frequently disagreed over the sharing and release of Cauvery waters, particularly during years of deficient rainfall — making an already difficult situation structurally harder to resolve for farmers in the Cauvery basin region.

Officials Present

The inspection was attended by Nanjangud MLA Darshan Dhruvanarayan, Mysuru Deputy Commissioner Lakshmikant Reddy, Zilla Panchayat CEO Yukesh Kumar, the Nanjangud tahsildar, agriculture department officials, and other local representatives.

With the monsoon season drawing to a close and sowing severely disrupted, the pressure on the state government to announce a formal drought relief package for Mysuru district is expected to mount in the coming weeks.