Karnataka’s rice bowl shows no signs of filling up
Kavya S., a housewife at BTM Layout in Bengaluru, bought a 26-kg bag of Sona Masoori rice in June for ₹1,560. “This month the cost
Kavya S., a housewife at BTM Layout in Bengaluru, bought a 26-kg bag of Sona Masoori rice in June for ₹1,560. “This month the cost for the same quantity in the same shop was ₹1,950,” she rued. Radha Shinde, a resident from Vijayanagar in the city, said the second quality bullet rice that she bought last month was ₹1,600 for 26 kg, which is now ₹1,750. "I had to adjust by dropping some pulses from the grocery list,” she explained. Abdul Gafoor, a resident of J.C. Nagar, buys the exotic Jeera Fine variety of rice to cook only special dishes during weekends. “It now costs ₹285 per kg. A month ago, I bought it for ₹255,” he said. The prices of all varieties of rice in Bengaluru’s retail market have gone up by anywhere between ₹10 and ₹15, even higher for the more exotic varieties. Traders in the city say that the upward trend is unlikely to change immediately, given the prevailing conditions on the agricultural fields and in the market. Deficit rain in June and July because of El Nino, the impact of the West Asia war, and some local factors have all pushed the price of various rice varieties. Rice, a water-intensive crop and a staple across south India, has been impacted hard by poor monsoon in June-July and plummetting reservoir levels. Though rain has revived in some parts in August, too much time has been lost say farmers and experts. About 90% of the paddy is grown during the kharif season from June to October in Karnataka. Technical snag adds to woes About 500 km from Bengaluru, in the fields of Raichur and Koppal, key rice growing areas irrigated by the Tungabhadra Left Bank Main Canal, farmers are despondent for two reasons — delayed and deficit monsoon and technical snags that have cropped up just when the rains revived in August. The region remained dry in June and July, and when it is raining in August and reservoir levels are up, a breach near Mile 46 in Koppal district is causing delay in water release into the Tungabhadra Left Bank Main Canal, further delaying the kharif cycle. The region is renowned for producing premium Sona Masoori rice, which is widely consumed not just across India but also exported to Sri Lanka, West Asia, several African nations, and other international destinations. This year, however, agricultural experts are advising cultivators to shift to less water-intensive crops such as jowar wherever possible. Ideally, paddy transplantation should have been completed during July. Delayed transplantation not only reduces yield but also affects grain quality, thereby impacting the premium value of the rice produced in the region.
According to Chamarasa Malipatil, honorary president of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha and a farmer leader from Manvi in Raichur district, this year’s production loss is almost inevitable. Less than 30% of sowing According to data from the Karnataka State Department of Agriculture (KSDA), only 2.02 lakh hectares sowing has been completed as against the target of 10 lakh hectares during the kharif season. Sowing of seeds or transplantation of saplings for cultivation of paddy has not even completed 30% of the total target. Last year, the target was more than 10.63 lakh hectares, of which sowing on 9.13 lakh hectares was achieved in the kharif season, 0.23 lakh hectares in the rabi season, and 2.34 lakh hectares during the summer season. Overall, a total of 11.07 lakh hectares was achieved at the end of financial year 2025-26. Around 56.23 lakh tonnes of paddy was produced and 4,904 kgs of paddy was cultivated per hectare. The data from Karnataka State Natural Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) showed that the State recorded 357 mm of rainfall as against the normal 506 mm between June 1 and August 4, representing a departure of -28% and classified under the deficit category. Most regions where paddy is cultivated in large quantities, including Raichur, Yadgiri, Ballari, Shivamogga, Mandya, and Mysuru, recorded large rainfall deficit. Agronomists and farmers across the State said that it is unlikely to achieve the target by the end of this month. Malipatil said that nursery saplings that are available today are nearly two-and-a-half months old. Ideally, paddy should be transplanted using 30 to 35-day-old seedlings. “Aged seedlings cannot produce the same yield. Even if water reaches the fields now, the productivity will come down substantially,” he said. “Worse, most farmers did not even raise nursery beds this year because the government had announced that water from reservoirs would not be released for irrigation owing to poor storage. Only farmers who had access to borewells or other alternative water sources prepared nurseries. Those seedlings are not sufficient to cover the vast command area.” Poor stocks in mills While the future is not promising on the fields, in Bengaluru, Manjunath G., a rice trader on Millers Road, said that poor stock of paddy with the rice mills as well as farmers, and anticipation of poor arrivals owing to deficit rains this year, have pushed up prices in the past 15 to 20 days. Manoj Jain, another rice trader in K.R. Market, said: “The price of rice will increase further in the coming days due to more demand and less stock. Hence, many are buying large quantities and stocking up.” Hoarding is only further pushing prices.
The BriefWire