THANJAVUR: Nambivayal, a village in Pattukkottai, revels in the glory of being able to cultivate paddy throughout the year. While farmers across the delta districts are finding it difficult to cultivate paddy even once a year, those in Nambivayal cultivate thrice a year (muppokam).
Express spoke to a cross-section of farmers in Nambivayal to understand the phenomenon. G Subramani, former panchayat president and a farmer, said, “The fertility and type of soil are the reasons for successful cultivation. In addition, groundwater is available in abundance in the region which plays a vital role in the cultivation. Unlike the soil in other villages, ours does not allow water to percolate faster. As a result, while other parts of the delta require irrigation twice a month, we irrigate fields once a month. Soil here is brownish-black and hard compared to others.” Paddy is cultivated on nearly 200 hectares in Nambivayal. While farmers in other villages long for heavy downpour and the arrival of Cauvery water, those in Nambivayal would panic if monsoon sets in as water does not percolate quickly. “Fifteen days ago, we received good rain. Even though the rain was limited, water stagnated in the fields for three days before we drained it into a nearby canal. Due to this situation, we rely only on borewells. We sink bores for 200 feet and get water without any problems,” Subramani said.
Nambivayal farmers use the long-term CR 1009 seeds (150 days) from August to January. They then use short-term seeds with a life of 90-120 days twice. This practice is called muppoka vilaichal in Tamil as villagers cultivate thrice a year.
“Maharajasamudram river passing near the village is the main source of groundwater recharge for Nambivayal, which lies just 20 feet away from the fields. Water flows in the river only during monsoon and when there is flow in Cauvery but that is enough to recharge groundwater,” said Thangavel, another farmer.
Another interesting tale is that when drought occurred in the sixties, many farmers tried to sell their land. On seeing the soil did not absorb water easily, many refused to buy the land despite it being offered at throwaway prices. The current market price is Rs 45 lakh per acre.
With agriculture going on throughout the year, farm workers too are also busy. Farmers, however, allege they are not getting decent returns and have appealed to the government to revise the minimum support price for paddy.