Thiruchirapalli: Cyclone Nivar’s landfall had been a blessing in disguise as the region had received a good spell of rains and this had treated the pest attack on the crops.

“We were anxious during the times of Nivar landfall and feared that the impact would be worse but no damage was recorded and we heaved a sigh of relief after looking at the crops. And at the same time, the steady rains had helped to clear the pest attacks,” said S Subramanian, a senior farmer from Pattukkottai in Thanjavur who has been cultivating traditional varieties of paddy. The crops appeared healthy and this would result in a good yield, he added.