Tamil Nadu: Permbalur shallot ryots in tears after rain-induced infestation 

PERAMBALUR: Farmers in the districts express concern about small onions being affected within 30 days of planting due to incessant rains. They claimed the authorities concerned have not taken any action against the disease in the last three years.

Small onions were planted in 4,400 hectares in the district till October this year. The district has topped in shallot cultivation for over a decade. Shallot is the main cultivation in Alathur, Veppanthattai and Perambalur. Starting from October till December, the farmers cultivate two seasons of shallots back to back. At this juncture, heavy rains have been lashing at several places for a month, especially this week.

​Thus, the small onion crops were affected by basal rot disease in many villages, including Adaikkampatti, Nattarmangalam, Irur, Chettikulam, Echchankadu and Bommanapadi. The crops also were rotten in many places. This has caused a great concern among the farmers.

Putting the onion storage godown in Chettikulam to use is a long pending demand of the farmers. P Periyasamy, a farmer of Adaikkampatti, told The New Indian Express, "Around 30 days ago, I planted small onions on my two acres in Adaikkampatti. But by then my crops started suffering from basal rot disease due to continuous rains. One of my two acres in this is completely rotten, and water is stagnant on another."

He further said, "So far I have spent Rs 15,000 per acre. However, we have no option but to destroy my one care of cultivation. We have been affected by this disease for three years. But the authorities have not taken any action. Last season, yields increased and prices fell. But this season, our yields have been affected since the beginning of the season." 

Another farmer, R Muthukumar from Nattarmanagalam, said, "I have planted small onions on my 1.5 acres. The rains affected my entire crops. I have suffered a great loss. There is no attempt by the authorities to control this."

When The New Indian Express contacted Perambalur Deputy Director of Horticulture M Indhira, he said, "The crops are damaged by basal rot disease. Onions definitely need sunlight. Farmers should do crop rotation to escape from this disease. We are going to raise awareness regarding this."