Kuruvai cultivation begins, Delta confident of bumper harvest

TIRUCHY: Farmers have started early kuruvai cultivation across the Delta region with the help of bore wells and they expect a bumper harvest this season, while agriculture officials anticipate more acreage of kuruvai crop this year.

According to Delta farmers, they expect the Mettur dam to be opened on the customary date of June 12 for irrigation for the third consecutive year as the storage stood at 107.08 ft, which is a comfortable position, on Wednesday.

Official sources said, early kuruvai cultivation has been undertaken in an area of 10,000 hectares in Thanjavur among which the preliminary works are going on in full swing in Tiruvidaimaruthur, Thirupananthal and Kumbakonam.

Owing to the adequate storage in Mettur dam, kuruvai cultivation is expected to be taken up in at least another 60,000 hectares.

“With the active cultivation of kuruvai, we have ensured to stock 189 tonnes of paddy seeds, which are being provided to farmers in Thanjavur,” an agriculture official said.

In Tiruvarur, the kuruvai cultivation has been targeted in an area of 36,000 hectares but it would cross the 50,000 hectare-mark as the possibility of opening Mettur dam was bright on June 12.

The early kuruvai cultivation in Tiruvarur district has commenced in Needamangalam, Valangaiman, Kudavasal and Mannargudi and going on in full swing.

In neighbouring Nagapattinam, the kuruvai cultivation target is 15,000 hectares, while the coverage is expected to be around 40,000 hectares in Mayiladuthurai district.

Official sources said that water from Mettur was releasedon June 12 for the past two years and the flow was stepped up after August. Kuruvai was very successful and the trend would continue this year too, they added.

Senior agriculture technocrat P Kalaivanan said, “Since the prediction of monsoon is positive this year, kuruvai will be cultivated in more than 2 lakh ha and direct sowing will contribute more this time.”