RAMANATHAPURAM: Given the abundance of waterbodies in Ramanthapuram, the district is gearing up for a second crop season after almost four years. With the samba harvest season coming to a close, farmers have started work on the second season, which could see cultivation on around 14,000 hectares.
Usually, farmers in Ramanathapuram district would only cultivate samba crops in a given year, since majority of the areas are rainfed. A few farmers have enough water to cultivate a second crop in the district. Contrary to the previous years, however, the delay in monsoon has left waterbodies brimming with water, which has also solved irrigation woes of the district.
While speaking to TNIE, a senior agriculture department official stated that on the advice of District Collector Vishnu Chandran, special district-wide campaigns will be hosted to include more farmers across all 11 blocks in the second crop season. About 14,500 hectares is expected to be cultivated, with cotton crops alone expected to be cultivated on about 8,500 hectares. The rest will be used for pulses, millets, and oil seed cultivation.
"A second season for Ramanathapuram is quite rare. Around three to four years ago, second crop cultivation would be contingent on the availability of water. Now, farmers have enough water to irrigate a second crop,"said a farmer named Ramanujam.
Speaking about horticultural crops, however, a farmer from Thiruvadanai rued that the increasing temperature ahead of summer season is threatening to affect plants like chilli, which are about to reach their flowering stage. Although dismissing concerns of any direct impact, farmers are afraid that the change in weather conditions could affect the yield later on.