TIRUCHY: The Samba season is coming to a close and the paddy cultivation acreage has recorded a significant rise. However the area under traditional variety paddy cultivation has seen a massive dip in the district, dropping reportedly below 2 per cent of the overall paddy cultivation this season. As interest towards traditional varieties is slowly fading, the Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department has taken an initiative to cultivate two traditional varieties on its farm to urge more farmers to take up such varieties during the next season.
Being one of the major seasons in the district, a record high coverage of 49,900 hectares (1.24 lakh acres) was recorded for Samba paddy cultivation this year. The increase in price also made more farmers to take up paddy cultivation this season. Apart from the conventional medium-duration varieties, which are cultivated in most of the Samba cultivation areas, a minimum of four per cent of the total area is used for traditional paddy cultivation.
According to the department, about 2,000 hectares (including 1,200 hectares in Uppiliyapuram block) alone has been used for cultivating traditional paddy varieties such as Kichadi Samba and Thuyamalli in Tiruchy. Though paddy cultivation is on the rise for the past three consecutive years, the area under traditional varieties has been on the decline. This year, the drop was around 50 per cent against the usual in Tiruchy. As on date, less than 1,000 hectares have been used for traditional variety cultivation in the district.
Speaking to TNIE, Murugesan, Joint Director of Agriculture Department, said, "Despite being the major cultivator of traditional variety of paddy, more than 50 per cent of the farmers in Uppiliyapuram block have shifted to conventional paddy varieties leaving the cultivation area of traditional varieties to drop below 600 hectares. Since it is easily sold through procurement centres, farmers are shifting towards conventional varieties."
With the area of cultivation of traditional varieties dropping below 2 per cent, the department has planned to promote traditional varieties during the next Samba season. For seed production, the department will plant two traditional varieties such as Kichadi Samba and Thuyamalli on its two farms this season.
Balu, a farmer from Tiruchy, said that as there is no statutory platform for farmers to sell their traditional paddy, they are left to opt for the open markets where they have to wait and sell. On the other hand, conventional varieties get a decent price at DPCs which opened for the first time earlier during this year's Kuruvai season.