Early kuruvai hit by downpour; 3,000-acre crops damaged in Thanjavur

TIRUCHY: Downpour in the Delta districts ravaged more than 3,000 acres of paddy, sesame, cotton and blackgram crops in Thanjavur district on Monday.

The summer rains lashed across the Delta region from May 16 and 17, destroying several thousand acres of banana and betel leaves plantations. The farmers who were frustrated over the damages have approached the officials to enumerate it and recommend compensation on a war footing.

The Sunday night downpour that lashed till Monday early hours damaging over 1,000 acres of ready for harvest summer crops in Boothalur, Thiruvonam, Kumbakonam and Thirupananthal.

It was a same case with crops other than paddy facing the brunt of rainfall in Thiruvaiyaru, Anthanar Kurichi, Thillaisthanam, Vilangudi, Punavasal, Perumpuliyur, Achanur, Sathanur, Semmangudi and Anaikudi. Sesame, blackgram and cotton went under water and the inundation turned tragic for the farmers.

Farmers heaved a sigh of relief as the rains relented on Monday. Even as they are doing their best to drain out the water from the fields, they are worried as roots of the crops are severely affected due to the water stagnation.

“We weren’t prepared for the rainfall. So, we weren’t able to protect the summer. We had obtained bank loans to go ahead with the cultivation, but within a single day, the entire crop was damaged,” K Sakthivel, a farmer from Thiruvonam, said.

The farmer also appealed to the officials to assess the damage immediately and recommend a compensation of Rs 35,000 per acre for the affected ryots. The farmers have planned to approach the district Collector with their demands over crop damage.