Welcoming the State government’s announcement that water from the Stanley Reservoir will be released for irrigation on June 12, the delta farmers have urged the government to ensure quick and proper execution of the kudimaramathu works and also sought support package for kuruvai and samba cultivation.
Welcoming the announcement, the general secretary, Cauvery Delta Farmers Welfare Association, Mannargudi S. Ranganathan said issuing a GO or a standing order to the effect that water would be released from Mettur dam only for cultivation of conventional crop seasons such as kuruvai, thaladi and samba in the districts would avert anxiety over the date of release and help farmers prepare themselves for the seasons every year.
He also lauded the Public Works Department for maintaining the 100 feet storage level at the reservoir for nearly six months by not releasing water for summer crops, which has given confidence to the delta ryots to take up kuruvai cultivation.
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In a statement issued on Monday, the general secretary, Federation of Farmers Associations in Cauvery Delta Districts, Arupathy P. Kalyanam called upon the State government to convene district-level meetings of officials and farmers to chalk out plans for judicious use of water for irrigation.
He also highlighted the need for support package by pointing out that farmers had taken up kuruvai and samba cultivations last season under enormous financial constraints in the absence of support package.
Stating that this year too they were forced to take up cultivation under stressful conditions in view of the challenges thrown up by the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Kalyanam wanted the Tamil Nadu government to announce support packages on the lines of the agriculture investment support scheme announced by the Telungana government under which farmers were paid ₹5,000 per crop for two crops without any ceiling on landholding.
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Terming the announcement as a timely direction for the farmers to take up their preparatory works in a phased manner, the president, Tamizhaga Vivasayigal Nalasangam, Tiruvarur, G. Sethuraman wanted the government to ensure that the kudimaramathu works identified for the current year were executed in a proper manner by involving the real water users – the ryots.
“No doubt that execution of kudimaramathu works will help improve the groundwater table as it will ensure filling up of waterbodies apart from irrigating the cultivable lands. But at the same time improper or sluggish execution of desilting and renovation works of water courses will only nullify the very objective of the scheme. If the scheme is to serve its purpose then farmers should be taken on board in large numbers”, he said.
Welcoming the announcement, the Thanjavur district secretary, Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam, N. V. Kannan also urged the government to expedite the kudimaramathu works to ensure that water reaches the tail-end areas in time. Further, he demanded that crop loans should be issued without any condition and support package for kuruvai be announced.
The State secretary, Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam, Sami.Natarajan, a progressive farmer, G. Srinivasan of Ganapathi Agraharam and the president, Cauvery Delta Farmers Association, A. K. R. Ravichandar stressed the need for providing support package for kuruvai cultivation in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. They also urged the government to ensure that crop loans were issued to farmers without any delay.