TIRUCHY: With the level in Mettur reservoir crossing 80 feet and water release imminent, farmers in Tiruchy have started preliminary works for the samba season.
According to the Agriculture department, samba cultivation in the district is likely to be taken up in about 50,000 hectares, which is much larger than previous year. Meanwhile, banana cultivation in the region is seeing a gradual increase this year.
To ensure fair distribution of Cauvery water, farmers have urged the district administration to dredge all the 17 irrigation channels in the district sp so that farmers in tail-end regions could also benefit.
M Periyaiah, a farmer in Musiri, said, “Last year, we struggled to raise even a single crop and those who did had a difficult time. Now that the CWMA is in place, there is hope that Cauvery water would be fairly distributed and with predictions of a good rains, many are expected to take up samba cultivation this year.”