CHENNAI: Good sporadic spells of showers and the flow of water in the Cauvery have resulted in a doubling of paddy sowing area across Tamil Nadu. The total area of coverage so far during the current financial year stands at 5.432 lakh hectares, twice the previous year’s figure of 2.895 lakh hectares.
“The sowing area of paddy cultivation in the current financial year up to September 24 is 5.432 lakh ha. The figure for the corresponding period last year is 2.895 lakh ha. We hope the coverage of paddy will go up further,” a top agriculture department official said.
According to department statistics, Tiruvarur district in the delta tops with sowing area of 1.70 lakh ha, followed by Nagapattinam (81,000 ha) and Thanjavur (55,000 ha). The official noted that flow of water in the Cauvery had helped most ayacut areas receive sufficient water for irrigation. Sporadic rainfall in certain districts also helped.
In fact, Erode, Coimbatore, Karur and Ramanathapuram where rice production was nil last year, have been able to sow paddy this year. Rice production in 2017-18 in TN was 72.77 lakh tonnes. In 2016-17 it was 35.54 lakh tonnes owing to drought conditions.