TRICHY: The recent spell of rain that lashed Trichy district has been a boon for farmers preparing for samba paddy cultivation and from rain-fed areas, but for those who started kuruvai paddy harvest it has become a hindrance.
Weathermen have forecast thunderstorm with moderate rain at a few places in the delta districts for at least five days from Tuesday. However, several places in the state including the delta districts have been receiving intermittent rain in the last 10 days, with Trichy clocking 14.40 mm in the last 24 hours.
Farmers from the district have raised kuruvai paddy in about 15,000 acres, a major portion of it in Lalgudi block where harvest has begun. But the rain has damaged standing crops in a few villages, said N Veerasekaran, state spokesperson of Bharatiya Kisan Sangam.
Preparatory works for samba paddy cultivation has picked up pace. If the normal area of cultivation in Trichy is about 1.10 lakh acres, it is expected to cover about 80% of the area this time considering the current Mettur reservoir storage level. Farmers from rainfed areas such as Thuraiyur, T Pettai, Musiri have started preparatory works for cash crops such as cotton, maize, red gram on hundreds of acres. However, those from non-delta areas such as Manikandam and Thiruverumbur blocks are yet to start the process, joint director of agriculture M Murugesan said.
