Gale, rain damage paddy, banana in Tiruchy, Karur dists

Since Sunday late evening, the soaring temperature had dropped low after a severe wind that supplemented with the lightning and thunder.

Suddenly, heavy rain started across the central region which damaged around one lakh banana crops ready for harvest in Vayalur, Mullikarumbur and Jeeyapuram in Tiruchy district, Thirukampuliyur, Metuthirukampuliyur, Mahadanapuram, Mayanur, Krishnarayapuram, Pichampatti and Lalapettai in Karur district.

According to Puliyur A Nagarajan, TMC (Farmers’ Wing) president and president of the Tamil Nadu Banana Farmers Association, the banana farmers had already been undergoing untold misery with pricing that resulted the farmers to sell their crops at Rs 10 per kg for all the varieties.

While the farmers are already upset over the huge loss, the gale has played another blow to their lives and damaged over one lakh trees in these two districts, Nagarajan said.

Later, the Collector’s PA (Agriculture) Santhi along with Srirangam Tahsildhar Sridhar and other officials have conducted an enumeration of the damage. Nagarajan appealed the State government to disburse a compensation of Rs 3 lakh per acre.

Meanwhile, the winds damaged the ready to harvest paddy in Thanjavur and its surrounding places. The farmers said over 1,000 acre of paddy was destroyed in the areas like Nadoor, Nanchikottai, Orathanadu and the adjacent villages. The paddy was ready for harvest. “We have been waiting for the harvest and the unexpected rain and wind damaged the entire crop. If the government relaxes the norms in moisture condition while procuring, at least the huge loss would be prevented”, said Sundarajan from Orathanadu.