Farmers from Karaikal, Nagapattinam, Pudukottai and Thanjavur districts have been making a beeline for Sarbendrarajanpattinam, a coastal village near Pattukottai, for collecting the huge deposit of sea moss.
According to local villagers, the sea moss has come as a blessing in disguise for coconut farmers who cannot afford to purchase a large quantity of fertiliser. “Big and small coconut growers alike, every one benefits through this nature-given manure,” says G. Mani, one of the farmers from Pallathur near Pattukottai in adjoining Thanjavur district.
Coconut growers of Neduvasal in Pudukottai district say that applying sea moss in the fields enhances the yield. Apart from quality, it also enriches the size of the coconut. Although they have been getting the sea moss from Kottaipapttinam, it was a rare phenomenon to see sea moss deposit in Pudukottai district. But, at Sarbendrarajanpattinam village, the deposit was steady and round-the-clock.
Farmers say that they collect sea moss right from 4 a.m. up to 6 p.m. every day.
The sea moss can be used only in coconut groves and it should remain wet all through the transit. “If it dries up, the manure loses its capacity to enrich the soil,” says Ganesan, another farmer.
A tractor load of sea moss is transported for a price of ₹12,000 for a distance of 20 km. “If the village is at a distant place, the expenditure will be more,” he said.
