Farmers in and around Tiruchi and Perambalur have taken up onion cultivation, particularly the “chinna vengayam” during the current “vaikasi pattam” taking due advantage of summer showers.
Farmers were confident that, if the monsoon sets on time, they would realise bumper harvest.
A farmer of Maniampatti village near Peramangalam on the Tiruchi-Thuraiyur highway says he had cultivated “chinna vengayam” on about 40 cents of the land. He was confident of registering 30 bags each of 50 kg at the end of the season which lasts 70 days. He said that the recent summer showers has facilitated the onion cultivation. He had adopted drip irrigation system in his fields to ensuring maximum utilisation of available water.
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Explaining the advantages of the drip irrigation techniques, it facilitated not only maximum utilisation of water but eased the process of clearing the weeds.
Agriculture Department officials said that the “chinna vengayam” crop needed adequate rain after 15 days from the date of sowing the seeds. Further, the absence of showers beyond 50 days would bring about a higher yield.