SALEM: The failure of the southwest monsoon has left farmers in the eastern parts of Salem struggling with crop losses, particularly in Thalaivasal, Thammampatti, Attur and Pethanaickenpalayam, where agriculture largely depends on rainfall and farmers have limited access to irrigation schemes.
With inadequate rainfall during the season, maize and sorghum crops cultivated across these areas have dried up without producing a harvest, leaving farmers with little option but to leave the crops in the fields for livestock or remove them using tractors.
Unlike crops that are cultivated during a specific season, maize and sorghum are grown by farmers in these parts through different periods of the year, depending largely on the availability of rainfall. Many farmers had cultivated the crops expecting the southwest monsoon to provide sufficient rain, but the rainfall was inadequate, leaving the crops to wither before they could produce a harvest.
With the crops now completely dried up and no viable yield available for harvesting and sale, farmers said there was little they could do with the standing crop. In several fields, the dried plants have been left for cattle to feed on, while farmers are removing the crops where they cannot be used as fodder.
V S Govindaraj, president of the Salem District Farmers' Welfare Association, said the farmers had no other option after the crops dried up completely. "Since the crops cannot be harvested, farmers have no other option but to leave them in the fields for cattle to consume. However, some varieties cannot be consumed by cattle, leaving farmers with no choice but to remove the dried crops," he said.
The situation is similar in Omalur and Kadayampatti, where turmeric farmers have also suffered losses due to inadequate rainfall. Farmers said the crop was affected not only by the lack of rain but also by pest attacks, with the prevailing high temperatures making it difficult to control the damage even after pesticides were applied.
As the turmeric crop has also failed to develop properly and cannot be harvested for sale, farmers in these areas have started removing the affected plants using tractors, incurring additional expenses despite having little or no returns from the crop.
