Monsoon holds back, dry land crops fail

Farming in these districts is divided into three areas. In the areas around Theni, Dindigul and Madurai districts, it is basically dependent on the rain fed Vaigai River. Similarly, in the southern regions of Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi and Nagercoil, it is the Tamirabarani River which sustains   the farming community. 

The area between Vaigai and Tamibarani rivers, which includes northern tracts of Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi districts and Virudhunagar and Ramanathapuram district, falls under the category of semi-arid region. It is in these regions that dry land farming is practiced. 

Onions, black gram, green gram, chilly, maize, BT cotton and other such crops which do not need large amounts of water are planted in the semiarid region which is dominated by black soil.  However, due to the abysmal failure of monsoon the crops had gone dry causing severe losses for the farmers. A farmer Vijayalakshmi, from Ayyanvadamalapuram near Ettayapuram in Thoothukudi district, claimed that farmers in the region had planted 140 kg of onions per acre. 

When there was a brief spell of rain, they were happy and added 50 kg of DAP and 50 kg of Urea to the plants per acre in anticipation of more rain. But nature did not favour them and the monsoon failed miserably. Now it is harvest season and agricultural labourers are employed but the plants have not seen enough growth. The lower portion of the plants still remains dry and their height too remains the same as when they were planted two months back, claims Vijayalakshmi. 

Speaking to DTNext, Varatharajan, State Vice President, MDMK (Farmers Wing), said there was 40 percent deficit in monsoon rain compared to the previous year. He therefore wants the government to declare southern districts as drought-affected. He also claimed that officials attached to Department of Economics and Statistics and Agriculture should record the losses in a scientific manner and compensation for farmers under the newly implemented Prime Minister Crop Insurance Scheme should be given, said Varatharajan.