TIRUCHY: Heavy rain and gale that lashed the district on Sunday night laid waste hundreds of acres of harvest-ready bananas in Andhanallur, Musiri and Lalgudi blocks.
However, the damage was less compared to the gale in April when 300 hectares were wiped out.
Muruganantham, a farmer in Adhavathur village said, “I planted about 1,000 saplings (Nendran and Neipoovan). Usually, there would be two phases of summer gale. We saved the crop in the first phase. This time, we took bunches of Nendran variety as it was close to harvest stage, but poovan is still in flowering stage and is damaged.”
Periyasamy, a farmer in Lalgudi, said many farmers had kept the fruits in the trees as the returns was less. “We will be forced to sell poovan for just Rs 20 per kg. As nendran is exported to Kerala, the loss seems much lesser for the farmers,” he added.
Paddy submerged in Pudukkottai
Rain submerged paddy crop in Annavasal, Manamelkudi, and other areas in Pudukkottai district. The crops were ready for harvest in the next 10-15 days. Farmers said that they would now be able to harvest only 25 per cent of the crop.
“We are already facing heavy loss due to corona and the rain has added to our woes. We will be able to harvest only about 25% of our paddy now. My crops are submerged in water. It will take 1-2 days for the water to drain. During the time, crop at the bottom part will be unfit to harvest,” said Azhagarsami, a farmer in Sittanavasal.
In Sittanavasal alone, about 80 acres of crop has been affected. Paddy cultivated in one acre fetches an earning of Rs 30,000-35,000, said farmers. Each farmer spends Rs 25,000 per acre.
“I spent Rs 40,000 on my 1.5 acres of land. I was expecting to sell it for Rs 50,000-55,000. A night’s rain has ruined my chances of profit. We also use the paddy for our personal use. But now everything is gone,” said Annadurai, a farmer in Sittanavasal.