Farmers representatives have not been enthused much by the State government’s announcement of a special package to help farmers take up kuruvai paddy cultivation in filter point areas in delta districts.
Farmers association leaders said that the package would not be of much help to delta farmers as the groundwater table has gone down badly owing to the drought.
“It is not advisable for farmers to go in for the kuruvai crop using the available groundwater and cause further depletion. The available water table could be conserved if farmers skipped the kuruvai crop. It is better to wait and watch till end of August or September. If the storage level at the Mettur dam increases, farmers can go in for thaladi or samba crop in a much larger area as the water release in Cauvery would help recharge the water table,” observed Mahadhanapuram V.Rajaram, working president, Cauvery Delta Farmers Welfare Association.
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He pointed out that many farmers like him had been asking the government to come up with an alternative cropping plan instead of the water intensive kuruvai crop in such distress situations.
Kaveri Dhanapalan, general secretary, Cauvery Farmers Protection Association, said the package was nothing but a waste of government resources.
“When there is scarcity of even drinking water, how can farmers take up cultivation. In places such as Vedaranyam and Thalaignayiru in Nagapattinam district, there is already short supply of water. The kuruvai packages have not been of much help to farmers at large,” he maintained.
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Mr. Dhanapalan said that the announcement of the package would only go to strengthen Karnataka’s contention that Tamil Nadu had abundant groundwater source and the State government was implementing measures to support the cultivation utilising the same. Instead of going in for such packages, the Tamil Nadu government should mount pressure on the Centre to persuade Karnataka to release water in Cauvery as per Tribunal and Supreme Court directives.
The State should also press for the constitution of the Cauvery Management Board, he said.
Echoing his views, Puliyur A. Nagarajan, president, farmers wing of the Tamil Maanilla Congress, said: “There will be no use for farmers at large; only very few farmers have benefited from such packages in the past.”
He said that in the absence of water flow in the Cauvery river, borewells had dried up this year and there was not much scope for cultivation even in filter point areas.