Hit by unseasonal rains, Delta ryots seek govt help

TIRUCHY: Unseasonal downpour that lashed the Delta recently had blown off the expectations of a decent samba paddy harvest this season. Farmers have been fighting to drain out the inundation and have appealed the state government to expedite the crop damage assessment.

Farmers have also appealed to the government to bear the harvest cost and compensate their loss. The actual bidding farewell of the north east monsoon is usually expected by December 15, but the season got extended by around two weeks, said officials. According to official information, the north east monsoon extended till January for the sixth time in a row. As per data, in 2018 the monsoon extended until January 2 while in 2019, it lasted till January 10. In 2020, it extended until January 19. In the year 2021, the monsoon ended on January 22 and in 2022 the monsoon withdrew on January 12.

Though the farmers were informed about the extended stay of monsoon till January, most of the farmers were sticking to the traditional formula of monsoon calculations and thus, they face the brunt of the unseasonal rainfall. As a result, in most places in Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Mayiladuthurai and Nagapattinam districts, the samba crops that were farmers are ready for harvest but are apprehensive about because of various factors. The rains on the one had substantially reduces the yield while many have lost their crops completely as fields have been inundated.

“The crops were in good condition and we were expecting a near normal harvest in most places. It is heart-wrenching that rains hit us on the wrong time when we are going to harvest,” said Swamimalai Sundara Vimalnathan, Secretary, Tamil Nadu Cauvery Farmers Protection Association. He lamented that farmers are bearing the brunt of climate change.

The farmer leader urged the state government to depute officials to conduct a genuine crop damage assessment and bear the cost of harvesting. “After the unseasonal heavy rains, the ready-to-harvest samba had been leaning towards the ground which makes it tedious to harvest. The process is time consuming as workers have to brave stagnated water and sludge. It doubles the harvesting cost and government support at this moment is crucial”, Vimalnathan said.

Meanwhile, PR Pandian, President, Coordination Committee of All Farmers Association, appealed to the government to sanction compensation from the National Disaster Relief Fund. He also suggested for crop cutting experiments, for assessing the yield and sanction of compensation under crop insurance scheme.