With the southwest monsoon playing truant, farmers are not prepared to go in for paddy cultivation during the ‘kar’ season this year in a big way though all other factors associated with farming are conducive.
The State Government had waived crop loans to the tune of Rs. 164.82 crore, availed by a total of 21,326 borrowers in the district, from the Primary Agriculture Cooperative Banks.
The farmers, who should have started the ‘kar’ paddy season on a happy note, are not so enthusiastic as they are sceptical about the yield they may get during this season this year as the southwest monsoon that brings copious water into major dams in the district has belied their expectations.
After being blessed with excess rainfall during northeast monsoon last year – 1,421.07 mm rainfall against the annual average of 814.80 mm – farmers were gearing up for yet another paddy season after enjoying a bumper harvest in the ‘pisanam’ season as the weathermen had predicted above average rainfall during southwest monsoon also.
However, nature has dashed all their hopes as the district that should have received 275 mm rainfall between January and July, has so far got only 197 mm rainfall this year – a deficit of 28 per cent. The dams which had the storage of 5,353.75 million cubic feet water during the corresponding period last year against the cumulative storage of 13,765 mcft (38.90 per cent) now has 4,474.32 mcft (32 per cent). Storage level in the irrigation tanks is also not impressive with 1,634 tanks including 724 systemised and 910 rain-fed tanks are bone dry. Against this backdrop, the farmers are not prepared to test their fortunes during this ‘kar’ paddy season.
“Though water has been released from the dams for ‘kar’ paddy season, the farmers are doubtful about the supply of water till the end of the season as rain in the catchment areas is far from satisfactory. Since the flow into the dams and the storage level of reservoirs will collectively decide their fate, agriculturists are not prepared to take the risk,” says S.T. Shaik Maideen of Vadakarai, a farmer.
Their fear reflects in the ‘kar’ paddy cultivation taken up so far during this season. Though Agriculture Department has originally planned to cover over 23,000 hectare under paddy during the ‘kar’ season this year, cultivation has been taken up only on 5,850 hectares till July 14.
“Anticipating good rainfall, we’ve stocked adequate inputs like certified seeds, pesticides, fertilizers etc. across the district. However, the deficit rainfall has compelled the farmers to believe that all is not well this time. So, farmers are going in for cultivation of millets and oilseeds like groundnut or sesame. The farmers may help us achieve the paddy cultivation target this time only if southwest monsoon becomes active at least in the days to come,” said an official.

Source : The Hindu