TIRUCHY: As samba transplantation works peaks in the delta region, farmers are finding it hard to find agricultural workers. Without workers, many farmers are now using machines and the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) technique. So far, 20,000 hectares have been transplanted with samba paddy in the delta blocks.
Following the arrival of the northeast monsoon, samba works intensified in the district. According to the Agriculture department, paddy transplant has been done on 20,000 out of the targetted 36,000 hectares in the delta blocks in the past month. It is expected the remaining 15,000 hectares in the delta region and 5,000 hectares in non-delta blocks would be done within the next 10 days.
“Farmers have to transplant their crops by the end of October to harvest in February. If this is delayed, farmers may struggle for proper irrigation in the final stages. Farmers are speeding up transplantation works so they can be completed in the next 10 days,” said Rajeshwaran, Deputy Director, Agriculture department, Tiruchy.
Over 80 per cent of farmers here have adopted the SRI technique and the rest are using traditional methods. Of them, more than 50 per cent are using farm machinery and the rest manual plantation methods.