Copious rains bring joy to dry-land farmers in Madurai belt

MADURAI: The copious rains this season much to the delight of all in the south, was godsend for dry land farmers, who solely relied on rain-fed cultivation, sources said.

According to Joint Director of Agriculture T Vivekanandan, timely rains in the districts are beneficial in areas that had suffered dry conditions. Vivekanandan, said summer ploughing was done by several farmers in rain-fed blocks, including Usilampatti, Sedapatti, Kallikudi, Thirumangalam and Pallapatti village in Kottampatti anticipating good rains in September to sow crops, including millets, pulses and cotton. The average cultivation area of pulses and millets in these blocks is 40,000 hectares and cotton cultivation area is 5,000 ha. But, with a considerable amount of rainfall this year, the cultivation area is expected to increase in this Rabi season. The recent rains are useful to farmers through schemes under Chief Minister Dryland Development Mission, he told DT Next on Sunday.

T Perumal, national vice president, Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, Vadipatti, Madurai, said the rains these days would certainly benefit the farmers, who largely rely on September sowing of dry land crops.

A jubilant farmer, SM Deivendran from Nedungulam village of Vadipatti taluk said he would take up paddy cultivation on 10 acres in September. Sources said heavy rains received in the catchment areas along Western Ghats gave rise to water level in the Vaigai dam. P Murugesan, Assistant Executive Engineer, PWD, Vaigai dam, said the dam had the maximum capacity of 71 feet, stood at 70.13 ft with an inflow of 1,191 cusecs and a discharge of 769 cusecs on Saturday morning. However, the discharge from the dam increased from 769 cusecs to 2,769 cusecs from 8.30 am.

Currently, 2,069 cusecs of excess water was being discharged from the dam through the Vaigai River, he said.