A group of farmers from Mela Urappanur near Tirumangalam petitioned the Collector’s office on Monday demanding compensation for their paddy crop affected by what they termed a ‘mysterious blight.’
According to J. Senthamarai, one of the petitioners, many farmers had sown a variety, called ‘deluxe ponni’ in local parlance. “However, in two months time, the crop turned reddish in colour and did not grow further,” he said, claiming that more than hundred acres of paddy crop in the region were affected.
S. Pandi, another farmer, said the crop was a failure last year owing to shortage of water. “This year, with relatively good rainfall, we hoped for a better harvest. However, it turned out to be a huge loss for us,” he said.
The farmers further claimed that officials from Department of Agriculture and experts from Agricultural College and Research Institute in Madurai, who visited the area, could not suggest any remedial measure for saving the crop.
Pointing out that all the farmers had registered for insurance under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), Mr. Pandi said the Collector must ensure that they were compensated through the scheme for the losses.
No ‘blight’
Agriculture officials, who visited the spot, however, said it was not blight but a problem that arose from poor quality of seeds. The farmers acknowledged that they bought the seeds from a vendor and not the government.Moreover, an official said paddy sown by the affected farmers were one of the BPT varieties, usually not recommended in the region. “It is a long duration variety that takes almost 150 days. However, considering the water scarcity, we recommend paddy varieties that do not exceed 115 days,” he said.
The NLR variety grown in adjacent fields of affected farmers had produced a good yield. Moreover the total affected area would not be more than 50 acres, he said.
