Farmers cultivating chillies in Marungapuri block in Tiruchi district have reported a sharp drop in yield due to drought.
Marungapuri is a major production centre for chillies, which are marketed to Kerala.
Every village in the block accounts for a vast area under chillies. The red loam soil is suitable for the cultivation of chillies. Marungapuri is famous for the ‘samba’ variety or long-shaped chillies.
Depletion in groundwater
Of the total 1,160 hectares under chillies in the district, Marungapuri block has a major share of 343 hectares. Farmers say the failure of monsoon has resulted in serious depletion of groundwater in their wells. This has led to a fall in the quality and quantity of chillies.
Against the usual yield of one tonne a hectare, the yield this season was just 400 to 500 kg. The life of the plant is 10 months and the yield start from the third month.
The crop can be harvested once in three weeks for about seven months. Ramamurthy, a farmer of Marungapuri, said he raised the crop on two acres in ‘Karthigai’ (November-December) last year. The first harvest was in ‘Thai’ (January - February), when he could harvest 15 bags an acre. The yield is far less than the usual 22 to 25 bags last year.
Prospects bleak
Although the crop was harvested till June, the prospects are bleak this year due to shortage of water. Usually, April is the peak period when a maximum quantum of chillies is harvested. But due to paucity of water, the scope for further yield is too bleak, he said indicating that the crop was on the last spell of harvest by mid-May.
Farmers add that the weeds pose a great problem to the crop, and a large number of agricultural labourers are involved in clearing them.
