RAMANATHAPURAM: Though it began on a bright note, 2022 wound up leaving farmers in the lurch. A widespread shortage of water for irrigation and deficit rainfall offset the cultivation on numerous farms. Farmers in the district now hope they will be able to reap bounty at least in 2023 and pay off their debts.
Being one of the largest cultivators of paddy in the state, over 1.3 lakh hectares of land in the district is used for farming the crop in a single season. Apart from paddy, Ramanathapuram Mundu chilly and cotton are the largest cultivated crops in the district. While some areas rely on Vaigai river water for irrigation, the remaining farmlands depend solely on rainfall.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, Bakkiyanathan, a farmer and an activist associated with the Vaigai Irrigation Farmers Association, said, "Irrigation has been the major issue that distresses farmers here year after year. During the era of the Sethupathi King, thousands of irrigation tanks dotted the district and the farmers were able to carry out two to three cultivation cycles each year. Those tanks still exist, but due to improper maintenance, they are not able to store rainwater properly. Thus, we now struggle to complete even one cycle of cultivation each year."
Expressing hope that the state government would take steps to desilt the branch canals to ensure the availability of Vaigai water for farmers, Bakkiyanathan said the authorities should also construct a canal along the ECR to allow excess water from Kollidam river to reach the tanks in Ramanathapuram.
Another demand raised by the farmers was the fixing of a minimum support price for paddy in adherence to agronomist MS Swaminathan's report on paddy. They also lamented that the number of palm trees dwindled in the district over the years. "This year, the state government should take efforts to enrich palm tree plantations in the district and this would also help in recharging the groundwater table," they added.
Murugan, another farmer, said the district's very own Mundu Chilly is cultivated on about 14,000 hectares in the district. Chilly farmers across the district pin their hopes on the government to take measures to obtain a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for the produce.