NAGAPATTINAM: After wreaking havoc on harvest-ready kuruvai crops, unseasonal rains in Nagapattinam have been taking a toll on the budding samba paddy crops here too. Partially submerged, the samba crops, which were directly sown only a few weeks ago, have been adversely affected, farmers, who are now worried over restarting the whole process once again, said. Most of the crops that got affected in the rains were directly sown, they added.
"We would need to invest again to do that. Therefore, we request the State government to review the damages and provide us with new seeds at a subsidised rate of as much as 90%. Only then could the losses be recovered," 'Cauvery' V Dhanabalan, a farmer-leader from the Kaviri Vivasaayigal Paaathukaapu Sangam, said.
As of now, around 17,000 hectares of kuruvai paddy were cultivated in the district, out of which around 13,000 were sown directly. Around 4,000 were transplanted, sources said. The harvest, for the past one month, had been affected by sporadic downpours, farmers said and demanded relief for the loss of yield. Some of the farmers, skipping kuruvai paddy cultivation in June, went on to cultivate samba in September. Meanwhile, thaladi paddy cultivation, too, has kick-started in the district post kuruvai harvest.
Currently, more than 39,000 hectares of thaladi paddy have been cultivated in the ongoing Samba season in Nagapattinam district. Out of it, more than 32,000 hectares have been directly sown and over 7,000 hectares transplanted. "Heavy rains could be detrimental. It can add to the woes of those farmers who are already facing loss of yield," R Rajendran, a farmer from Mohanambalpuram, said. When contacted, J Akhanda Rao, the joint director of the agriculture department in Nagapattinam, said, "The situation will be reviewed and relief for the farmers affected will be initiated after the rains."