RAMANATHAPURAM: Even as the seed sale for the samba cultivation season has kicked off in the district, many farmers are waiting for Vaigai water and rainfall to start the work. Samba or the second crop is the only season when all farmers would be involved in cultivation works. Usually, the season begins in August and ends in January, based on the monsoon arrival.
More than two-thirds of the samba paddy cultivation area is rain-fed and the rest is irrigated with the help of water from the Vaigai River. Following the release of compensation, many farmers are set to involve in samba cultivation this year. Official sources from the agriculture department said the cultivation area is likely to be above 1.3 lakh hectares, similar to last year.
However, irrigation woes have caused farmers to play the waiting game. Monsoon is yet to commence and Vaigai water has not been released as the storage of Periyar Dam is just about 120 feet. Official sources said the dam storage is lesser than in previous years. "Water has not been released even for the first crop. If the dam storage improves after rain, water will be released later. On the flip side, heavy monsoon is predicted. With most of the waterbodies properly maintained, farmers in the rainfed area are likely to start once it rains," they added.
Bakkiyanathan, Vaigai Irrigation Farmers Association, said proper action should be taken towards removing invasive plants from the Vaigai riverbed and the channels to bring water faster into the tail-end areas and improve the groundwater table.