Big drop in yield of Andhra Ponni variety

With samba paddy harvest nearing completion across the district, farmers in most places have reported less than average yield. However, Agriculture Department sources said the yield was near normal in varieties other than the Andhra Ponni, which was widely affected by the blast disease.

Samba paddy was raised on about 80,000 acres in the canal irrigated delta areas of the district and on about 25,000 acres in the non-delta areas.

According to officials, harvest is over in about 95 per cent of the area and the remaining crop would be harvested within a week. Sources said the average yield in the crop cutting experiments held in 48 plots was around 7.2 tonnes a hectare. A farmer of Manachanallur has recorded the maximum yield of 12.50 tonnes a hectare (CR 1009 variety) to win the first prize in the district in the crop yield competition.

Sources conceded that there was some loss in yield in the Andhra Ponni variety owing to the blast disease in some parts of the district. However, they maintained that the loss was between 10 to 20 per cent of the normal average.

However, farmers contended that those who had raised Andhra Ponni variety had suffered heavy losses. “Most farmers have got less than 10 bags (of 60 kg each) against the normal yield of 40 bags in Andhra Ponni variety,” said P.Ayyakannu, a farmers’ representative of Musiri. The average yield in other varieties has ranged from 30 to 35 bags against the normal level of 40 to 45 bags.

N.Veerasekaran, coordinator, Ayyan Vaical Pasanatharar Sangam, observed that the average yield in the district was less than normal and farmers who had raised the Andhra Ponni variety had reported big drop in yield.

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation had procured about 7,200 tonnes of paddy through its 33 direct purchase centres across the district. The corporation had opened 25 DPCs in Lalgudi taluk, four in Srirangam and two each in Musiri and Thottiyam taluks.

According to farmers’ representatives, many farmers opted to sell the paddy in the open market as there was some reasonably good demand owing to the drop in yield.

Samba paddy harvest almost over in Tiruchi district