With the southwest monsoon failing to bring adequate rainfall, Mandya Deputy Commissioner Dr. Kumar has urged farmers to shift from long-duration crops to short-duration and low-water-consuming crops.

At a meeting with Agriculture Department officials at his office here on Friday (August 21, 2026), Dr. Kumar said the availability of water needed to sustain long-duration crops was likely to remain limited due to the rainfall deficit.

He directed officials to encourage farmers to cultivate semi-dryland crops such as ragi, jowar, sesame, cowpea, black gram and horse gram, which require less water and can be harvested in a shorter period. Such crops would be better suited to the prevailing rainfall conditions, he said.

The Cauvery Irrigation Advisory Committee has decided to prioritise the use of water available in tanks and reservoirs for drinking water needs of people and livestock, besides short-duration crops. Water supply for long-duration crops would not be considered for now.

With only four rounds of water release decided upon, it was essential to conserve the available water efficiently, Dr. Kumar said.

He also directed officials to prioritise water storage in tanks and reservoirs in villages, where necessary, to prevent further depletion of groundwater levels.

Agriculture Department officials should conduct awareness programmes at the taluk, hobli and village levels and guide farmers in selecting alternative and short-duration crops based on the prevailing rainfall conditions, he said.

Agriculture Department Joint Director G.S. Jayaswamy and other district-level officials were present.

Published - August 22, 2026 04:12 pm IST