MADURAI: The harvest season for samba paddy commenced in Madurai after a month's delay. Despite shortcomings, including delay in release of water from Vaigai, 29,000 hectares of paddy was cultivated in the district. Given the spate of unseasonal rainfall, however, farmers of Chellampatti have alleged that they witnessed a failed season for the second consecutive season, and demanded compensation for damage incurred in both seasons.
According to agriculture department officials, the harvest process has been kickstarted in several areas in the district, with farmers yielding an average of 1,800 kg paddy per acre. With the process likely to intensify in the next two weeks, the civil supplies department has set up several direct procurement centres (DPCs) in the district. Usually, the harvest season would commence by January every year. This year, however, the crops could reach the harvesting stage only by February, with the cultivation season having begun by November, 2023.
V Mercy Jeyarani, secretary of the marketing committee of agriculture business department, stated that farmers are keen on securing a profit by selling their produce through E-Nam auctions held at Thirumangalam and Vadipatti regulatory markets. In the last 10 days, 749.82 quintals (20.36 quintal at Vadipatti RM and 729.46 quintal at Thirumangalam RM) was sold at the total cost of Rs 20.34 lakh, which aided 22 farmers in Madurai. She has requested farmers to opt for E-Nam to sell their produce for better prices.
Meanwhile, a few farmers in Chellampatti have rued crop loss on 1,315 hectares, allegedly due to unseasonal rainfall in the district in January. Farmers in Chellampatti have said that they incurred crop loss once in May last year, due to gale and rainfall, and again in January. Thus, they have demanded that the state government compensate for the losses at the earliest. Addressing the concerns, agriculture department officials stated that reports of damage have been forwarded to the state government and compensation will be provided soon.