TN farmers worried as unseasonal rain may hit harvest-ready crops in Delta region
THANJAVUR/NAGAPATTINAM: As the meteorological department has predicted heavy rain for Tamil Nadu from Thursday night, farmers in Thanjavur and Nagapattinam expressed concerns over paddy harvest. In the Thanjavur district, the paddy has been cultivated in around 1.37 lakh hectares this season. According to agriculture department officials, harvest is over in around 1.07 lakh hectares.
The remaining 30,000 hectares, mostly in the areas of Tiruvaiyaru, Budalur, and parts of Thanjavur block, are yet to be harvested. Most of these standing crops are the ones that were re-transplanted after the unseasonal rains.
“In our area, the harvest will be over in another 20 days,” said Manikandan, a farmer from Manathidal village. He further said if there was rain as per the forecast, it would affect the standing crops. Another farmer from Tiruvaiyaru area, Anbazhagan, said though the harvest is in full swing in their area, it would take another 10 days to complete the harvest.
“If it rains now, our crops would certainly be affected,” he said. Besides farmers have to spend more on rent for belt-type harvesting machines which are only suitable for wet fields. “The rent for belt-type is more than tyre-type harvester that is suitable for dry paddy field,” he added.
When contacted, agriculture department officials said the impact would depend on the intensity of the rains. In Nagapattinam, farmers cultivated 10,000 hectares of thaladi crops. They had recultivated in December after losing their crops once to the heavy rains in November. Their harvest is up for the second week of March.
R Natarajan, a farmer from Iluppur in Kilvelur block, said, “I have cultivated around 15 acres with 135-day duration crops. I am in a dilemma if I have to rush my harvest ahead to save my crops before they could get wasted in the floods.”
The farmers have cultivated 25,000 hectares of pulses in Nagapattinam and 46,000 hectares in Mayiladuthurai. Around 10,000 hectares in Nagapattinam were affected by the rains earlier this month.
(With inputs from Antony Fernando)