Foodgrain production rebounds to 110 lakh tonnes

State seeing stabilisation of output for a normal year; rising millet share a pattern now; depleting water table, a concern

May 07, 2018 01:18 am | Updated 12:35 pm IST -

A normal northeast monsoon and below-par realisation of the Cauvery water in 2017 did not come in the way of Tamil Nadu farmers registering around 110 lakh tonnes of foodgrain production during 2017-18. Though the production figure of 127.95 lakh tonnes during 2014-15 remains the best for the State, performance during 2017-18 was significant as it signalled the stabilisation of the foodgrain production at about 110 lakh tonnes. Since 2011-12, this has become the pattern, except in two years (2012-13 and 2016-17) when the State was in the grip of acute drought.

During the northeast monsoon (October-December) last year, the State received 40 cm rainfall against the expected 44 cm, recording a deviation of 9%, which, in meteorological parlance, was considered normal. As for the receipt of Cauvery water, the deficit was around 72 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) till the end of April. Against the overall due of 189.5 TMC, the State realised about 117 TMC.

In recent years, a discernible pattern in the foodgrain production of the State has been the increasing share of millets in the total production. Ten years ago, millets accounted for not more than 25% of the overall production. But, now, they constitute at least 33%

K. Ramasamy, Vice-Chancellor of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, attributes the farmers’ performance to adoption of technology and growing awareness of crop diversification. “No longer do many farmers in the Cauvery delta want to raise paddy alone,” Prof. Ramasamy points out.

Also, there is the tendency of some farmers in the delta, who own pumpsets, to share groundwater with needy ones, “of course for a charge,” the Vice-Chancellor says.

In the western region of the State, agriculturists in the belt from Palladam to Udumalpet have a flexible approach. When they get water through the Parambikulam-Aliyar canal, they use it for raising paddy. On other occasions, they switch to drip irrigation for producing onion and maize.

Acknowledging that the State does not any longer struggle to touch the 100-lakh-tonne-mark in foodgrain production, S. Ranganathan, general secretary of the Cauvery Delta Farmers’ Welfare Association, cites a host of reasons including the government’s schemes of subsidy and incentives. In the last few years, the allocation for micro-irrigation has gone up manifold.

He emphasises that the authorities should intensify their steps towards weaning the farmers in the new delta areas away from their paddy-centric approach, which was an offshoot of the commissioning of the Mettur dam in the mid-1930s.

Expressing concern over the fast-depleting groundwater in the region which covers Pudukottai district and parts of Thanjavur and Tiruvarur, Mr. Ranganathan wants the government to educate and motivate the farmers to opt for two crops of pulses and one crop of cotton.

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