Extended wet spells hit cotton crop in Tiruchi

Farmers fear fall in yield this year

A farmer plugging cotton at a village near Mannachanallur in Tiruchi district.

Extended rain spells have adversely impacted the cotton crop raised in different parts of the district.

Official sources say about 5,000 hectares have been brought under the cash crop during the current year. The moderate temperature that prevails from July to February and March ( Aadi to Maasi ) is ideal for raising the crop in some parts of the district. Contrary to paddy, cotton also requires modest water.

The crop has been raised extensively in Valaiyur, Puthur, Thazhuthalapatti, Palaiyur, Sadamangalam, Tiruppatoor and other neighbouring areas in Mannachanallur and Thuraiyur blocks.

Although the crop looks green in most cotton fields, farmers say it has a dented growth due to extended rainy days. They claim that the heavy rain that lashed the district during the flowering stage of the crop has hit it hard.

In some areas, picking season has started. Farmers are of the view that the yield is not normal. They say that 3/4 tonne of cotton an acre is a good yield. But that it is unlikely to materialise this year, they rue.

“The picking season is spread over two to three months. We can calculate the quantum of yield only after the end of the picking season. We have started picking cotton. But the health of cotton crop shows that the yield will not cross half a tonne per acre,” says R. Chandrasekaran, 58, of Valaiyur, who has raised cotton on five acres of land.

Although most factors of were conducive during the current season, it was the excessive rain that hit the crop badly. Otherwise, it could have been a better year for cotton farmers in the region.