Harvest of samba paddy crop is over in 80% of the planted areas in Thanjavur and Tiruvarur districts. And the remaining portion will be harvested within the next 10 days.
Although the current samba season is mostly comfortable in terms of productivity, farmers in the tail end areas of Vennar in Tiruvarur district and Grand Anicut Canal in Thanjavur district fear loss or at least a shortfall in yield.
In Thanjavur district, samba and thalady paddy crops have been raised on 1,24,460 hectare of which crop on an estimated 12,350 hectares, mostly in Pattukkottai, Peravurani and Sethubavachatram blocks that form the tail end areas of the Grand Anicut Canal aycut, have either been given up as almost lost or their productivity will take a huge hit of up to 75%.
In the rest of the areas where the crop is seen to be good, sources in the Department of Agriculture say, the harvest has been completed in almost 80% of the area roughly corresponding to 87,000 hectares.
But wherever the crop has been harvested, the productivity is definitely encouraging — hovering in the region of 5.8 to 6 tonnes per hectare.
With about 60% of the district farmers going in for BPT 5204 variety, the farmers are getting ₹1,200 per 61 kg bag with private dealers.
In the neighbouring Tiruvarur district, out of the 1,47,200 hectare brought under samba paddy in the current season, harvest has been completed on 1,21,200 hectare and the balance will be completed within the next 12 days. Here too, the productivity has been good at around 6 tonnes per hectare.
In Tiruvarur district, while the popular BPT 5204 variety paddy is fetching farmers ₹1,200 per 61 kg bag, CR 1009 variety was getting them just about ₹900 for the same quantum. Official sources claim that the area to be harvested mostly comprised the thalady paddy crop raised with the help of sub surface water.
The district farmers too are experiencing loss of crop and productivity over an extent of an estimated 10,850 hectares, predominantly in Tiruthuraipoondi, Kottur, Muthupettai and Tiruvarur blocks, and the issue has already been taken to the notice of the State Government.
