Early onset of monsoon, timely release of water from Periyar dam for irrigation and adoption of modern agriculture practices, including System of Rice Intensification, have helped farmers in Cumbum valley get a bumper yield in the first cropping season.
The highest yield in Theni district this season was 10,072 kilogram per hectare and the lowest 8,595 kg.
Agriculture Department had set up 14 model paddy plots in the valley to assess yield. Harvest was over in many plots and would be completed in the remaining plots soon, according to Joint Director of Agriculture V. Thilagar.
To assess the ‘kuruvai’ yield, the officials conducted crop-cutting experiments in some fields at Margaiyankottai in Chinnamanur block recently.
Effective propagation of the SRI, enthusiasm shown by the farmers, their willingness to accept new technologies and quick implementation of innovative practices helped farmers achieve success, they added.
Kuruvai paddy crop was cultivated using Periyar water on over 14,000 acres in Cumbum, Uthamapalayam, Chinnamanur, Bodi and Theni blocks. Paddy growers had raised hybrid and high-yielding paddy varieties.
Even as rains disrupted harvesting at many places, farm mechanisation helped farmers complete harvest in 90 per cent of the areas and also overcome labour shortage. At the same time, on-the-spot procurement by private traders too had minimised post-harvest loss. Even outstation buyers had camped in the district and started procuring paddy directly from the farmers.
Paddy is being procured at Rs. 13.7 a kg for finer variety and Rs. 12.8 for coarse variety with humidity of less than 17 per cent.
Reduced use of fertilizers
“Yield would have been much more. But rat menace scaled down yield in several fields. But profit margin was high as a majority of the farmers cut input costs. Another welcome sign was sharp reduction in use of fertilizers. Intermittent showers during milking period helped us scale down use of fertilizers,” said farmer M. Periyasamy of Margaiyankottai.
Farmers in the valley had already started using machines for transplantation, weeding, spraying fertilizers and harvesting.
With a good spell of north east monsoon, progressive farmers are expected to start preparing their fields for the second crop soon.
Raising nurseries will commence shortly in head areas like Gudalur as harvest was over in Uthamapalayam and Gudalur well in advance.

Source : The Hindu