Udupi Receives Much-Wanted Rainfall; Orange Alert Issued

Udupi district has finally seen a welcome spread of rain, with the district meteorological station recording about 95 mm during the last monsoon week. The sudden downpour is especially welcomed after a comparatively dry spell that threatened to affect crops across the region.

While the rainfall is a blessing for paddy fields and other cash crops, orange growers in the coastal belt are on alert. The Karnataka Agricultural Department has issued an ‘orange alert’ warning farmers of a suspected outbreak of a viral disease that can jeopardise the quality of the fruit in upcoming market seasons.

Farmer organisations have already begun to take precautionary measures, including early application of protective fungicides and strict storage protocols. The alert aims to prevent a repeat of last year’s losses. Source: Google News – Udupi.