NAGAPATTINAM: Adding to difficulties like non-arrival of Cauvery water and a failed monsoon, farmers keen to take up kuruvai cultivation are faced with non-availability of seeds in government-run agricultural extension centres. While Nagapattinam district has the potential to cultivate kuruvai over four lakh acres, seed availability is just eight tonnes, sources said.
Even as the district administration has sought a target of 35,000 hectares under the kuruvai special package, farmers who are expecting Cauvery water state they can cultivate about four lakh acres if the water arrives in June. However, water is now a lesser concern compared to the seed scarcity.
“Though the Union government is delaying setting up the Cauvery Management Board, our hopes are with the Supreme Court hearing scheduled on Thursday. So, we are looking to start preliminary kuruvai work. But it is shocking the government does not have enough stock of ADT 43 and TKM 9 kuruvai varieties of seeds. As per information, the government has eight tonnes of these seeds but we need about 70 tonnes,” said Cauvery Dhanapalan, general secretary, Cauvery Delta Farmers Protection Association.
He added, “To cultivate one acre of kuruvai, 15 kg of seeds for machine plantation and 18 kg for manual plantation are required. For direct sowing, 20 kg would be needed. For four lakh acres, 7,200 tonnes are essential. There is a rule that the government should keep at least 16 per cent of seeds in stock out of the total requirement, which means there should be 1,000 tonnes of seeds.”
S Ramadoss, district secretary, Tamilaga Cauvery Vivasayigal Sangam, said, “We can purchase seeds from government centres for Rs 25 per kg with the subsidy. Private individuals are selling seeds for Rs 40 per kg, which means we have to pay Rs 15 extra.
As we have not received the 2016-2017 insurance dues or crop damage assistance for the floods last October, how can we spend so much without the help of the government?” When Express contacted Vijayakumar, joint director, Agriculture department, Nagapattinam, he said, “We have given our proposals to the government and waiting for the reply.”