THANJAVUR: The harvesting of kuruvai cultivated over 78,486 hectares – a record high for the district in the past five decades – is complete in over 60% of the acreage but farmers complain of a significant drop in average yield as compared to last year. They blame the insufficient Cauvery water supply and the absence of rain in crucial phases of crop growth for it.
“Of the total cultivated area, kuruvai has already been harvested in around 49,000 ha in the district,” an Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department official told TNIE. This accounts for about 62% of the total acreage.
However, 12 of the total 36 crop-cutting experiments that the agriculture department has completed so far have recorded the average yield to be 4,232 kg/ha, which is lower than last year’s 6,000 kg/ha. The lowest yield recorded in the crop-cutting experiments is 2,563 kg/ha.
AKR Ravichander, a farmer from Ammayagaram, mentions the drop in yield to be more significant in areas that solely rely on Cauvery water for irrigation. “In Kalimedu, Seeralur and Sakkarasamandam, where farmers are dependent only on the water from Grand Anaicut Canal (GAC), the yield is around 30 to 36 bags of 60 kg each per acre,” he said, adding that those who got pump sets to irrigate their cultivation with groundwater got around 45 bags per acre.
R Seethalakshmi, a farmer from Kasavalanadu Pudur, said her cultivation returned a yield of only 36 bags per acre this year as compared to 45 last year. She attributed it to irregular water release in the sub-canals fed by GAC and a lack of rainfall in September. A similar situation prevails in areas irrigated by canals branching out from River Vennaru.
Natarajan, a farmer from Maraneri who is fed by the Vennaru, said a significant number of paddy stalks yielded only chaff instead of grain, resulting in a drop in yield. P Sukumar of Melathirupponthurthi said the lack of water supply will lead to a further decrease in yield in a crop that is yet to be harvested.