Farmers in the delta region who have raised samba paddy on over nine lakh acres are going ahead with cultivation though water scarcity looms large.
“Dwindling water level in the Mettur Dam causes concern as most of our samba paddy crops are in the 30 to 40 days age group. We need water for a few more days till December end. Unless rain arrives by next week, it would be difficult to save the crops,” says a paddy farmer S. Nageswaran of Kudavasal in Tiruvarur district.
Farmers could not extricate themselves out of the bad situation in several areas of Nagapattinam district. “We went in for direct sowing as advised by the Government to minimize water requirement and reduce the duration of samba paddy crop we preferred short and medium term varieties. Still, we feel that we would run short of water if the rain did not come next week,” fears another farmer K. Subramanianathan of Vaitheeswaran Koil.
While 2.60 lakh acres is under samba paddy in Thanjavur district, a total of 3.04 lakh acres is covered by the crop in Tiruvarur district. Nagapattinam district accounted for another 3.36 lakh acres.
While many farmers expect water from Karnataka, there are those who fear for normal north-east monsoon this year. “I am aghast to find overnight dew in the samba paddy crops and mist early in the morning. I fear for my crop,” says V. Jeevakumar, district vice-president of the Tamil Nadu Vivasaya Thozhilalar Sangam and a farmer belonging to Budalur.
But for the directly sown crops in Nagapttinam district as also in the tail-end areas of Thanjavur and Tiruvarur district, it is going to be a Herculean task to sprout and possess the normal health to grow from now on. “We don’t know what is in store for us over the next month. Despite Supreme Court rulings water does not come from Karnataka. Even if it starts raining from next week, what is the guarantee that water will be available to see through the samba paddy crop. It is going to be an accumulated loss this year,’’ rues a farmer R. Uthirapathy of Thalaignayar union in Nagapattinam district.
