Karnataka cotton farmers face severe losses despite exceeding sowing targets

Farmers in Karnataka's Yadgir district are confronting significant financial losses this season despite achieving sowing coverage of 108 percent against targeted acreage. The twin challenges of extended dry weather and brown disease outbreak have crippled cotton productivity across rainfed farming areas, where yields have plummeted to just 2-3 quintals per unit of cultivation.

The moisture deficit has compounded crop stress in a region heavily dependent on rainfall, weakening plant resistance and creating conditions favorable for disease spread. The brown disease, which affects cotton bolls and leaves, has proven particularly destructive in drought-stressed fields where plant vigor is already compromised.

Despite farmer efforts to expand cultivation, betting on seasonal rainfall that failed to materialize, the adverse growing conditions have negated the benefits of increased sowing. Many cultivators now face the prospect of recovering far less than their investment in seeds, labor, and inputs. Agricultural officials in the district are assessing the scale of crop damage to determine potential relief measures for affected farming communities.