Paddy protection in Cauvery delta throughout present Samba season decrease than final 12 months

The protection of paddy through the present Samba cultivation season within the Cauvery delta this 12 months has been virtually one-third of the earlier 12 months’s achievement.

Only round 1 lakh acres have been lined within the delta towards 3.2 lakh acres a 12 months in the past, in response to a assessment of the place made within the final week of September. However, farmers and officers are assured of regular Samba protection that the area would do.

Normally, the protection is 12 to 13 lakh acres beneath Samba and the just about concurrent Thaladi seasons, which finish in late January-February/March with harvest. The significance of the delta will be gauged from the truth that of round 70.5 lakh tonnes of paddy produced within the State throughout 2023-24, the area accounted for 38% of the entire manufacturing at 26.9 lakh tonnes. 

The farmers and officers attribute various causes. Primarily, the late sowing through the short-term Kuruvai season has led to the present growth. “The unseasonal spell of rain in February-April this 12 months had hit the cotton crop within the area. Consequently, the affected farmers needed to go for the late sowing,” explains V. Ravichandran, a veteran farmer based mostly out of Nannilam in Tiruvarur district.

This issue coupled with the provision of ample water within the Mettur reservoir, the lifeline of the delta farmers, has contributed to the rise within the protection of paddy throughout Kuruvai by about 2 lakh acres. This 12 months, the protection beneath the short-term season was just a little greater than 6 lakh acres, whereas it was roughly 3.9 lakh acres in 2024. The regular protection hovers round 4.4 lakh acres. In truth, the authorities had anticipated the protection to be of the order of 5.6 lakh acres, however the extent of space went up by about 40,000 acres.  “There have been no points in provide of high quality seeds and fertilizers, paving the way in which for the improved protection,” factors out a authorities official.

The delay within the harvest of the crop throughout Kuruvai is coming in the way in which of elevating the crop throughout Samba. Arupathy P. Kalyanam, a seasoned farmer of the Mayiladuthurai district and normal secretary of the Federation of Farmers’ Associations within the Cauvery Delta Districts, says that in his district, the harvest could have been completed in many of the fields by normally by the tip of September. This time, there’s, at the very least, 25% of the fields that stay to be harvested. This shouldn’t be a wholesome signal. And, if you go for the late Samba, the crop is more than likely to be affected by inundation in view of the heavy rain spell through the northeast monsoon (October-December),” he says, calling for the adoption of an increasing number of submergence-tolerant varieties.

The officers hope that the farmers will make up any shortfall of the Samba season with their protection throughout Thaladi. Nearly80% of the Kuruvai space might be lined. Echoing an identical opinion, Mr. Ravichandran expects members of his farming fraternity to speed up the momentum for elevating the Samba crop this month and convey the uncovered areas beneath the fold of farming exercise.

As on September 29, roughly 238 thousand million cubic toes (tmcft) of Cauvery water was realised by Tamil Nadu on the inter-State level of Biligundulu. This meant that the State obtained round 116 tmcft greater than what was stipulated by the Supreme Court in its judgment of February 2018 for the interval commencing from June 1 to September 29.