Paddy, chilli crops in TN’s Ramanathapuram damaged heavily in recent rainfall: Enumeration report
By MS Thanaraj
According to the primary enumeration report, the rampant downpour in the district has resulted in the inundation of thousands of hectares of crops and caused a flood situation. Though other crops have chances of surviving, thousands of chilli crops are likely to get damaged, it noted, raising concerns about export of chilli in the upcoming months. District collector and local minister inspected the crop damage in Ramanathapuram on Friday.
Following the rain over the past couple of weeks, almost all the water bodies have reached their maximum level. Water from canals have breached into agricultural fields, leaving the crops inundated completely in Madurai and Virudhunagar. Blocks including RS Mangalam, Thiruvadanai, Kadaladi and Kamudhi blocks are the major affected areas. Notably, these are the four areas which faced drought-like situations in December 2022, which led to a major crop loss.
“Last year there was drought and this year, there was a flood. December is becoming a crucial period for Ramanathapuram farmers. Harvest-ready crops have fallen into the muddy fields due to the excessive water. We have taken huge efforts for the cultivation, and hence request the government to release compensation,” said M Gavaskar, a farmer leader from Thiruvadanai.
The report states out of the 1.3 lakh hectares of paddy, 15,000 hectares have been inundated. If such a situation persisted when the crop was at its harvesting stage, farmers would have incurred a major loss. Luckily, almost all the crops have around 20 days more to reach the harvesting stage. Thus, most of the inundated crop will recover once the water recedes, and only 2,000-3,000 hectares might face more than 33% crop damage.
MSK Bakkianathan, leader of the Vaigai irrigation farmers association, said almost all the farmers took to the fields by getting loans due to the loss incurred during previous seasons.“ The flood water has turned the fields into mini ponds, greatly affecting the crops. Even if the water recedes, heavy rainfall is predicted in the coming days. It will inundate the crops further and spoil it,” he added.
Apart from paddy, chilli crops face the risk of getting damaged. Out of the 15,000 hectares, more than 13,000 hectares have been affected by the flood and many fields are still filled with water. Minimal areas of millet, pulses and onions have faced inundation in the district.
Ramar, a chilli farmer and exporter from Koripallam village in Kamudhi block, said, “Though water has receded, the inundation could cause rot disease and pest attacks. Hence, the total season has failed this year. There could be a high demand for the remaining chilli and its export may face a slight drop this season. The state government could assist the affected farmers.”
This article has been republished from The New Indian Express.