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Cyclone and water shortage bring down samba yield in delta region
Farmers are in distress with the yield dropping by 25 per cent despite sufficient water flow induced by flooding in the Cauvery. But, the water failed to reach the tail-end of certain delta districts. Cyclone Gaja, too, wreaked havoc, reducing the yield.
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Thiruchirapalli
Though the rainfall was 20 per cent less this samba season, water release in Cauvery, from Karnataka, had swollen up Mukkombu dam and collapsed the century-old regulator in August 2018, when the Samba cultivation was in full swing. After its collapse, the water was diverted to Kollidam dam so farmers in some regions did not get adequate water for cultivation.
While the farmers were struggling to stop their crops from withering due to water scarcity, cyclone Gaja lashed in the delta districts in November when the paddy fields were almost ready to be harvested. The cyclone damaged at least 12,500 hectares of paddy in Thanjavur while it was 15,000 hectares in Tiruvarur and 12,000 hectares in Nagapattinam.
Harvest in Gaja-hit districts is underway now and it would be completed by March first week. Farmers of the region, especially Pattukkottai, Peravurani and Orathanadu blocks in Thanjavur district, said that the yield has been reduced drastically. Farmers have received between 3,000 and 4,000 kg of rice per hectare only. Out of 92 regions in Thanjavur, harvest in around 60 places has been completed so far. Against an average of 6,000 kg per hectare, the yield has only been 4800 kg.
“Traditionally, farmers harvest between 40 and 45 bags per acre. But this time, we could get only 20 bags due to Gaja. The crops were damaged in most of the areas,” Swamimalai Sundara Vimalnathan of Cauvery Farmers protection association said.
Sources said that the reduced yield would force the State to import rice from the States like Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and subsequently, the price of rice would shoot up.
Tiruchy records good harvest
When the rest of the delta region is reeling under bad harvest, Tiruchy alone witnessed an increase in samba yield. According to reports, Tiruchy farmers harvested around 250 kg more per acre than last year. Last year, the yield was 2,250 kg per acre. With harvest concluding in about 70,000 acres, the paddy yield has reached around 1.75 lakh tonnes this season, K Balraj, Joint Director of Agriculture, Tiruchy, said.
Balraj also said that the harvest would be completed by the first week of March and the yield is expected to break past three samba cultivation records.
Kaundampatti R Subramaniam, farmer and deputy secretary of Cauvery Delta Farmers Welfare Association, said, “The crops had failed us in past several seasons. Though this year has been better for paddy farmers, other crops like banana, cotton and sugarcane failed in the district.”
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