CHENNAI: Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Friday announced a Rs 134.83-crore Kuruvai Special Package for farmers to support paddy cultivation in delta and non-delta districts. The announcement comes amid concerns over delayed southwest monsoon, low inflows into the Mettur dam, and uncertainty over water release for Kuruvai cultivation.
In a statement, the CM said inflows into the Mettur dam remain low due to the delayed southwest monsoon, with the water level standing at 79.56 feet (41.52 tmcft). The meteorological department has also forecast that rainfall during the season could be 90% of the Long Period Average due to the El Nino phenomenon, he said.
“Opening Mettur dam on the traditional date of June 12 is not possible. Consequently, the usual Kuruvai cultivation on over 5 lakh acres in the Cauvery delta is unlikely. However, cultivation is expected to be taken up on 3.55 lakh acres using filter point wells,” he said.
The CM has also promised farmers uninterrupted three-phase power supply for 18 hours a day. While farmers’ associations welcomed the package, they sought enhanced subsidies and compensation for farmers affected by the water shortage.
Meanwhile, opposition parties expressed concern over the water situation and criticised the TVK government’s handling of the situation. PMK chief Anbumani Ramadoss urged the government to include input subsidy of Rs 5,000 per acre in the package.
The special package includes Rs 77.50 crore to encourage farmers take up Kuruvai cultivation in delta districts using filter point wells, and Rs 57.33 crore to promote Kar, Kuruvai and Sornavari paddy cultivation in non-delta districts.
The package will provide assistance towards incentives for mechanised paddy transplantation and direct seeding of paddy, supply of bio-fertilisers, distribution of micronutrient fertiliser mixtures for paddy, subsidies for certified seed paddy distribution, and incentives for the production of certified seeds of newly-released paddy varieties.
Through this scheme, mechanisation will be promoted, and water management practices will be strengthened. The use of quality seeds and advanced technologies will help increase the area under paddy cultivation, production and productivity. The scheme will also contribute towards enhancing farmers’ income and strengthening the state’s food security.
The CM also noted that desilting of 2,325 km of C and D canals in the delta districts has been completed at Rs 10 crore. Additionally, desilting of 4,971 km of A and B canals, undertaken at a cost of Rs 100 crore, is 97% complete. Further, 10,714 metric tonnes of paddy seeds and 4.02 lakh metric tonnes of fertilisers have been stocked for the Kuruvai season, CM said.
Farmers demand compensation for those who could not cultivate this year
Thanjavur: Farmers’ associations have demanded compensation for those who could not take up Kuruvai paddy cultivation as water could not be released from the Mettur dam on Friday, when water storage in Mettur stood at only 79.56 feet (41.52 TMC).
Following this, Kuruvai paddy cultivation area in the delta, which stood at more than six lakh acres during 2025, is set to fall to less than four lakh acres, as only farmers with energised motors to pump ground water will be able to cultivate this year.
“Farmers who are solely dependent on canal water for Kuruvai cultivation, particularly small and marginal farmers, could not take up cultivation this season.
They should be compensated,” said Sami Natarajan, general secretary of the TN Farmers’ Association. P S Masilamani, state general secretary of the All India Kisan Sabha, demanded that subsidy be given also for manual transplantation and other cultivation works.