Paddy cultivation in Tirunelveli district has been taken up during this ‘kar’ paddy season on nearly 15,000 hectares, thanks to a comfortable storage level in the prime reservoirs.
Collector V. Vishnu said the district received 626.68 mm rainfall from January 1 to August 17 against the average rainfall of 298.80 mm during this period, which is 127.74% more. This was due to a low-pressure-triggered excess rainfall received during mid-January.
Though rainfall during the south-west monsoon - from June to August - this year is poor, the ‘kar’ paddy cultivation was taken up with the decent storage in Papanasam, Servalar and Manimuthar dams due to the surplus rainfall in January.
While paddy has been cultivated on 14,498 hectares in the areas irrigated by the Tamirabharani, cultivation of grams has been taken up on 1,340 hectares. Small foodgrains on 231 hectares, cotton on 499 hectares, sugarcane on 28 hectares and oilseeds on 179 hectares have been cultivated in the rain-shadow regions where the standing crops are being irrigated with well water.
After distributing 209 tonnes of certified paddy seeds to farmers who have gone in for ‘kar’ paddy cultivation, sufficient quantity of bio-fertilizers have been stocked in the Agriculture Extension Centres. The seed inspectors, who have lifted 445 samples from 248 licensed seed sales depots for analysis, have found that eight samples were of inferior quality. Consequently, sale of 26.82 tonnes of seeds, worth about ₹17.77 lakh, has been banned.
Mr. Vishnu informed that the small and marginal farmers could get 100% subsidy for installing micro irrigation equipment in their fields while other farmers could get 75% subsidy for irrigating the horticultural crops.
Since the small and marginal farmers, while applying for getting 100% subsidy for installing micro irrigation equipments should attach the certificates issued by Departments of Revenue, Agriculture and Horticulture authorizing the applicants as ‘small / marginal farmers,’ special camps were organised on August 6 and 12. Subsequently, 1,200 farmers are about to get this certificate, Mr. Vishnu said.
Farmers, who could sell their produce in the regulatory markets at Ramaiyanpatti, Ambasamudram, Thisaiyanvilai and Valliyoor, could also store their produce in the regulatory market godowns and draw loans up to ₹3 lakh with 5% interest by mortgaging their produce stocked in the godown, Mr. Vishnu said.