THANJAVUR: With 47% of the 79,000 hectares of kuruvai paddy harvest completed in the district, farmers have recorded average yield of 5,700 kg per hectare which is 850kg more than last year, the agriculture department has said.
This year, kuruvai paddy has been cultivated in 79,000 hectares which is 56% more than last year.
Farmers who cultivated using groundwater pumped with the help of energised pump sets have already started harvesting.”
Harvest has been completed in 37,200 hectares so far”, an official of the agriculture and farmers welfare department told TNIE.
“Of the 36 crop cutting experiments planned for yield estimation so far, 16 have been completed. The average yield so far is 5,700 kg per hectare which is significantly more than last year’s average of 4,850 kg per hectare," the official added.
“I got a yield of 45 bags of 60 kg each per acre this kuruvai season. Farmers in our area got even up to 50 bags per acre”, said A K R Ravichander, a farmer from Ammaiyagaram in Tiruvaiyaru. The yield is 3-7 bags more than last year, he added.
“Good climate conditions and absence of rains during the flowering stage has resulted in good yield”, he explained. R Sukumaran of Kakkarai said the harvest has commenced in the Orathanadu area this week and initial reports are good.
“Farmers are getting a minimum of 36 bags per acre. We expect good yield overall this year”, Sukumaran added. He demanded opening of Direct Procurement centres at villages including Kakkarai, Poovathur, Tirunallur in Orathanadu area.