Mon Aug 18 08:05:03 UTC 2025: Here’s a summary of the text followed by a rewritten news article:
**Summary:**
Excessive rainfall in the Kalaburagi district of Karnataka, India, has devastated crops of green gram, black gram, and red gram. Farmers who borrowed heavily to invest in these crops are now facing severe financial hardship. While the Agriculture Department is assessing the damage, farmers are struggling to report their losses due to overwhelmed official phone lines for crop insurance claims. The region, known as the “toor bowl” of Karnataka, is facing widespread crop failure due to the saturated soil.
**News Article:**
**Karnataka Farmers Devastated as Excessive Rains Destroy Key Crops**
**KALABURAGI, August 18, 2025** – Farmers in the Kalaburagi district of Karnataka are facing ruin after weeks of unrelenting rainfall destroyed vast swathes of green gram, black gram, and red gram crops. The region, known as the “toor bowl” of Karnataka for its significant pigeon pea production, is grappling with widespread crop failure as fields remain waterlogged.
“I was certain that this year would change everything for me, but, in just 15 days, rains destroyed everything I worked for,” said Veerendra, a farmer from Indarpad Hosalli.
The downpour, also affecting neighboring Maharashtra and causing increased outflows from the Almatti dam, has left fields saturated, suffocating plant roots and causing crops to rot. Green gram, at the pod-setting stage, has been particularly hard hit, while black gram wilted during mid-bloom. Even the more resilient red gram is now threatened.
According to the Agriculture Department, the damage spans 58,000 hectares of green gram, 33,000 hectares of black gram, and a staggering 5.87 lakh hectares of red gram. The total loss is still being assessed.
“If this continues for another week, the farmers will lose entire crops,” warned farm scientist Vasudev Naik.
The situation is compounded by difficulties in filing insurance claims. Farmers who enrolled in the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana are finding the official phone lines for reporting losses overloaded. The Agriculture Department has instructed Raitha Samparka Kendras to accept physical reports to address this issue.
The devastating impact of the unseasonal rains is expected to have a significant impact on the regional economy and the livelihoods of thousands of farmers. Authorities are under pressure to provide swift and effective support to those affected.
First Piper 