TIRUCHY: PADDY and banana farmers in Tiruchy district have started cultivation of crops while fully dependent on groundwater. However, they expect water from the Cauvery at least by the end of this month to support the growing crops as the State government announced that the Mettur dam would not be opened on June 12.
Farmers and officials in the district have opined that if Cauvery water materialises within the next couple of weeks, areas for kuruvai and banana cultivation would be widely expanded. Tiruchy district grows bananas over 8,000 hectares of bananas.
In May, farmers would go for planting banana bulbs. Accordingly, the majority of banana farmers have already begun work by preparing fields and irrigating, using groundwater. Some farmers, however, are yet to start.
V Saravanakumar of Paniyapuram said, “Many farmers have gone in for banana cultivation and depending on groundwater for now as recent rainfall has recharged it. But we cannot rely on groundwater alone because it may run dry in the coming days if there is no rainfall. Farmers, who do not have borewells, have to depend on other farmers who do have them for water.”
Farmers without borewells have to take water to their lands from nearby borewells using lengthy tubes. If one travels through the villages, the tubes can be seen running over the surface criss-crossing farmlands.
As banana plants require irrigation at least once a week, farmers are eagerly waiting for water from the dam.
“If farmers are assured of water from the Cauvery by this month end, banana cultivation will increase considerably over a large area. Last year, Tiruchy recorded 5,700 hectares of banana cultivation despite a poor monsoon. If Mettur dam opens early and there is plenty of rainfall follows, the area under cultivation would reach 8,000 hectares,” said an official.
The situation is the same for paddy farmers in the district. Lalgudi block raises kuruvai crops on 3,000 hectares, apart from a few hundred hectares in other blocks. “The increase in the kuruvai cultivation area depends on how soon the Mettur dam is opened. If water release is delayed, farmers cannot take up kuruvai. In that case, they would have to skip kuruvai and go directly to samba,” said an agriculture official.
Demand for comp
The TN Farmers Association demanded comp for farmers who could not take up kuruvai cultivation as there is no scheduled release of water from Mettur Dam