One-third of the rain-hit 600 acres of kuruvai cultivation in Tiruchy prone to damage, say agriculture officials

TIRUCHY:  The overnight rains that lashed the district on Sunday and continued into Monday morning have left nearly 600 acres of kuruvai cultivation underwater, of which crop over at least 200 acres is likely to suffer damage, said Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department sources.

A Vetrivel, a paddy farmer from Lalgudi said, "The rains last night were totally unexpected. As I am from a joint family, we collectively own 20 acres. Our crop has suffered severe inundation." C Thangamani, another farmer, said, "Those paddy farmers along the Kollidam banks are the worst affected. It would help us if authorities guide us in such times. It's harvesting time, we need harvest machines on a war footing to complete work before another episode of heavy rainfall".

An agriculture department official said, "Kuruvai cultivation is largely undertaken at Lalgudi in the district, over 4,611 acres, of which we found 600 acres to have so far suffered inundation. Villages such as Sembarai, Thinniyam, Anbil, Mettupatti, K Kanaga Ramarajapuram, Ariyur, and Thirumayam Kudi report that they have suffered severe inundation."

"Compared to kuruvai farmers of other districts, cultivation in Tiruchy took off at a slow pace, with many hurdles due to climate. If the rains stop now, a huge loss can be averted. If not, it will be challenging. Already paddy cultivation over 150 acres faced huge losses due to a Cauvery in spate in August this year, for which the government announced relief measures,” the official added.

We would be filing a report after a detailed survey of the rain damage, the official further said. Meanwhile, on Monday afternoon, a team led by the agriculture department (Tiruchy) Joint Director M Murugesan visited rain-hit areas in Lalgudi.