The unprecedented drought like conditions stalking the delta districts have forced a scarcity for paddy straw that is being used as primary fodder for cattle. With traders from various parts of the State and even from Kerala invading the delta region in search of straw, prices have gone up considerably. The only silver lining in the whole issue is that those farmers who are harvesting samba paddy are reaping good benefits not from the grains but from the sale of straw.
Since the farmers are getting ₹4,500 per acre in cash from the sale of paddy straw these days, they are happy to sell the straw immediately. Most of the straw is being taken away to several districts in west and north Tamil Nadu and even to Kerala by the traders in truck loads. However, the farmers might face fodder shortage for their cattle heads as the summer progresses and the situation might get worse if drinking water scarcity stalks the delta, warns Mannargudi S. Ranganathan, general secretary, Tamil Nadu Cauvery Delta Farmers Welfare Association.
In some areas, the hay traders themselves bring in combined harvesters, cultivate the crop and besides bearing the harvesting cost give some money in addition to that to the farmers. ``The cost of harvesting will hover between ₹1,600 to ₹1,800 per hour depending on the time taken and the status of the crop. Then the straw would be bundled. We could get around 25 bundles of 20 kg each from an acre. Farmers get up to ₹30 per bundle at the least. Though this is a meagre sum compared to the crop loss we have suffered, this is supporting the farmers in a small way as of now, points out Arupathy P. Kalyanam, general secretary, Federation of Farmers Associations of Cauvery Delta Districts.
The harvested paddy straw is being purchased by traders from Coimbatore, Salem, Karur, Namakkal, Perambalur, Ariyalur, Dharmapuri, Vellore and even from neighbouring Kerala. Traders are paying ₹5,000 per acre for the straw they purchase but getting adequate quantum of straw is becoming increasingly difficult these days, according to Cauvery Dhanapalan, vice-president, Tamil Nadu Farmers' Consortium.
