Chittoor's rain-fed farms face poor Kharif harvest as monsoon fails
Chittoor's Kharif season is at risk as prolonged dry spells and a weak southwest monsoon threaten rain-fed farmlands.
Farmers in Chittoor district are staring at a bleak end to the Kharif season, with prolonged dry spells since March and an erratic southwest monsoon taking a toll on rain-fed croplands.
The district, which typically relies on seasonal rainfall for cultivation, has seen moisture stress build up over the past several months. The weak monsoon has left fields parched at a critical stage of crop growth, raising fears of a poor harvest as the season winds down over the next couple of months.
With the southwest monsoon failing to deliver adequate showers, the prospects for key Kharif crops have turned grim. The situation is particularly worrying for areas that depend entirely on rainfall, as irrigation facilities remain limited.
Officials and farmers alike are now watching the skies, hoping for late rains to salvage what remains of the sowing season. However, the extended dry spell has already damaged standing crops, and a full recovery appears unlikely unless the weather pattern changes dramatically in the coming weeks.