Rain has spoilt harvest in Tirunelveli district, say turmeric farmers

With just a few days left for Pongal, harvest is almost over in the district.

While a majority of paddy farmers have expressed satisfaction with the yield, it is not the case with others. Turmeric farmers in Cheranmahadevi and peripheries, in particular, face loss this season due to widespread rain.

It rained last week in the district when farmers were set to harvest turmeric. “With water-logging complaints, they were unable to harvest the produce and bring it to the market. The yield was also not good this time,” said K Manikandan, a farmer.

Since coverage area is limited to Cheranmahadevi and some parts of Tirunelveli Town, a majority of merchants have planned to transport turmeric from Erode for Pongal sales as the output in these areas may not meet the requirement. Also, farmers are not confident of selling the turmeric in the market since the yield is not good. They may not get a lucrative margin after paying labour and meeting other expenses, he added.

Consumers buy sugarcane, rice and turmeric for celebration during Pongal. While paddy is grown locally in a big way, sugarcane is procured from Madurai, Thanjavur and Theni districts. Turmeric farmers are keeping their fingers crossed as they are apprehensive of the loss due to continuous rainfall.