TIRUCHY/NAGAPATTINAM: Delta districts received light to moderate rainfall on Monday. Coastal delta districts such as Nagapattinam and Mayiladuthurai districts received high rainfall compared to other districts.
There were sporadic showers in Tiruchy district with an average of 2mm recorded in a day. No crop damage was reported — thanks to the advisory of the Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department to fasten up the harvest process and take precautionary measures.
Speaking to TNIE, M Murugesan, Joint Director of Agriculture Department said, “Harvest was stopped in Lalgudi blocks, but the process was carried out amid drizzle in parts of Pullambadi area. The continuous drizzle came as a boon for summer crops which are at leafing stage.” He added that following the rainfall alert, about 2,000 to 3,000 hectares of paddy have been cultivated over the weekend in Tiruchy.
Talking about the scenario at DPCs, an official from the Civil Supplies Department said that the procurement process was slow at a few DPCs in Tiruchy, but measures were taken to safeguard the procured paddy. Velmurugan, a farmer from Lalgudi, said that he had to cover his paddy kept outside a DPC with a tarpaulin. He was grateful to have harvested his crops before rain, otherwise he would have to spend extra money on drying paddy.
Nagapattinam received 7.3 cm of rainfall from Sunday morning to Monday morning. Mayiladuthurai received a total of 12.6 cm, while Karaikal recorded 2.6 cm of rainfall. The farmers said the moderate rains this past weekend should not let their demands for crop relief go ignored. “We were not this fortunate last month. We lost hectares of harvest-ready Samba crops and pulse crops due to the unseasonal rains in January and February. That loss still haunts us. We seek relief,” said D Olichandran, a farmer-representative from Vaimedu of Nagapattinam district.