First it failed to rain.Then it rained continuously causing loss to farmers who had chosen to cultivate black gram, green gram, cumbu, maize, sorghum and onion.

Despite the plants getting rotten due to the sustained wet condition, the farmers of karisal bhoomi (black cotton soil) of Vilathikulam, Ettayapuram and Kadambur did not give up.They used the last opportunity of the season to cultivate coriander and sunflower.

But, after over month of cultivation, they are staring at another round of loss.

Corriander can be grown only in pure black cotton soil. Therefore, the farmers of Pudur and Vilathikulam cultivate it.

“In rest of the areas, like Muthalapuram, Eral, Kazhugumalai, Kayathar, Vilathikulam and Pudur, they went for the traditional sunflower cultivation,” said A. Varadarajan, president of Karisal Bhoomi Farmers’ Association.

Though the State government had warned about lack of adequate germination in sunflower, the farmers went all the way to Telangana, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh to buy seeds.

“Big companies had not produced the sunflower seeds this year.The seed was not available anywhere in Thoothukudi district.The farmers bought it for a premium in other States,” he said.

However, after more than a month of sowing, the farmers were now disappointed as the flowers in the plants were abnormally smaller in size and they did not have any seeds, Mr. Varadarajan said.

Stating that the crop cultivated on 10,000 acres had failed and there was no possibility of getting any yield, Mr. Varadarajan wanted the district administration to take up field inspection for crop loss and distribute compensation under crop insurance scheme at the earliest.

The farmers have lost five to six quintals of seeds.

Mr. Varadarajan said the compensation for the crops lost in 2020-2021 under the crop insurance scheme was yet to be distributed.

“The farmers cannot wait for compensation any more as they have lost crops for two continuous years,” he added.

The woes also continued for coriander farmers as the cold condition for the last few days was threatening to force withering of flowers.

Source - https://www.thehindu.com