Farmers hopeful of bumper harvest in samba and kuruvai

Since water was released from the Mettur dam on the customary date of June 12 this year owing to the comfortable storage, Kuruvai crop exceeded the usual acreage this season.

According to the officials, Kuruvai was undertaken in an area of 55 ha in Thanjavur, while in Nagapattinam it was 45,736 ha and in Tiruvarur 38,765 ha. On the whole, the yield was good in all the regions owing to adequate water availability.

However, the storage gradually declined in the past two weeks and this made farmers to have a second thought over taking up Samba cultivation, whose season has just commenced.

But with the monsoon turning active in catchment areas of the Cauvery and widespread downpour in a few districts in the delta region had raised fresh hopes among farmers and the Samba cultivation has commenced in most parts.

Officials said, the water demand for ongoing Kuruvai cultivation is just for another 60 days and the release of 10,000 cusecs would be enough to complete it.

According to the officials, owing to the water availability, it was targeted to take up Samba cultivation in at least 2.86 ha overall in threee delta distrcits, with 90,000 ha in Thanjavur, 86,000 ha in Nagapattinam and 1.10 ha in Tiruvarur district and the planting of nurseries commenced by August second week.

In order to take up Samba cultivation, at least 210 tmc would be required but only 167.25 tmc would be released from Karnataka as per the apex court direction. But the seasonal rainfall in catchment areas have raised hopes among farmers that there would be enough water for the Samba crop also.

According to senior agri technocrat P Kalaivanan, the meteorological centre had predicted good rainfall in Karnataka while the on time northeast monsoon rain in the delta region would help meet the demand for Samba. “If Karnataka releases 167.25 tmc till January as per the Court direction, farmers can complete the Samba and achieve a bumper harvest,” Kalaivanan said.