Monsoon delay triggers migration

Yadgir in distress

This is the predicament of agriculture workers in the taluk, as they take different modes of transport to cities in search of alternative employment as construction workers and in other jobs.

Sharadamma, who was at the railway station in the city to board the train to her destination, said leaving their homes was inevitable as the delay in the arrival of the monsoon had rendered them jobless.

“Had it rained, my green gram crop would have been ready for harvesting. I can’t sit waiting for the rain as it is a question of survival. We are forced to go to the cities, taking our children along,” she said.

Basavaraj of Kurakunda village said even though June was coming to an end, there was no sign of the rain and they were forced to migrate. Many families of agriculture workers are bound for Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, Ahmedabad and Goa in the past two to three days.

The bus stand and railway station in the town are abuzz with people and most of them are agriculture workers. The monsoon should have arrived in the district by now.
The parched agriculture fields has caused anxiety among the farmers, resulting in the exodus.

While those farmers who depend on the rains have not started the sowing process, those with borewells-assisted irrigation have started sowing  green gram seeds. The sowing for other crops has not begun.

The district has received 84.5 mm less rain than normal for this time of the year. The normal rain till June is 183.5 mm. But this year, the rainfall has been only 99 mm, thereby bringing the sowing process to a halt.

The rainfall in Shahpur taluk has been 76 mm, while that in Surpur and Yadgir taluks is 83.5 mm and 137.5 mm respectively.

According to sources in the agriculture department, the sowing target this kharif season is 2.68 hectares, but till June 17, sowing was possible in only 1,975 hectares.

Already in the dock due to the fall in paddy prices, the farmers have purchased seeds and fertilisers with the farm loans. But there seems to be only a faint hope as they look skywards.