MAYILADUTHURAI: Unseasonal rain that lashed across the Mayiladuthurai district over the past few days wrecked havoc on kuruvai paddy crops in the harvest stage. Kuruvai crops spanning thousands of acres were partially submerged in the rains, rued farmers.
Wary of delay in the commencement of paddy sales, farmers urged the district administration to immediately open all the direct procurement centres (DPCs). According to the agriculture department, kuruvai paddy has been cultivated in a total of 38,441 hectares in the Mayiladuthurai district.
A total of 1,39,000 metric tonnes of paddy was expected to be harvested in the district this year. About 300 tonnes have been procured so far. Officials confirmed kuruvai crops in hundreds of acres were affected in the unseasonal rain.
A senior official from the agriculture department said the farmers have been advised to frequently drain the fields. "More crops would be damaged as the rain is likely to intensify in the coming days," the official said. "We are staring at huge losses. We hope to get over this phase and reap our crops without facing the brunt of heavy rains," said T Gokulraj, a farmer from Asikkadu in Kuthalam block.
Meanwhile, farmers raised demands to open direct procurement centers in the district without further delay. "We request the district administration to open all the direct procurement centers in the district at the earliest. We also demand desilting of drain channels," said SN Sekar, a farmer from Maraiyur in Mayiladuthurai block.