A prolonged dry spell and the failure of seasonal rains have left Vadamalli farmers in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore district struggling to save their crop, with large stretches of flowering plants beginning to wither across Thondamuthur Block.

Farmers in the region, who traditionally depend on rain-fed cultivation, say the absence of adequate summer showers followed by weak southwest monsoon rainfall has created an acute water shortage, severely affecting crops that were planted for the lucrative Onam market.

More than 500 acres of Vadamalli (Gomphrena globosa, commonly known as globe amaranth) have been cultivated across the villages of Vadivelampalayam, Mugasimangalam, Molapalayam and Kalimangalam. The crop, which has a cultivation period of around 150 days and starts yielding flowers after about 120 days, is widely grown for festive demand in Kerala during the Onam season. Though it requires comparatively less irrigation than many commercial crops, farmers say the current moisture stress has pushed the plants to the brink.

R. Karthikeyan, a farmer from Vadivelampalayam, said the crop had shown healthy growth initially but began drying up after continuous dry weather. “We were expecting at least a few spells of monsoon rain by now, but the fields have remained dry for weeks. The plants are losing vigour every day, and many may not survive unless we receive rain immediately,” he said.

According to farmers, the cost of cultivating Vadamalli is around Rs 30,000 per acre, covering land preparation, seeds, labour and other inputs. With no assured irrigation facilities in many parts of the block, growers fear they may not even recover their investment if the weather does not improve soon.

S. Manikandan, another cultivator from the area, said the drought had also altered the behaviour of wild animals. “Wild boars usually stay away from this crop, but the lack of food and water in nearby forest areas has driven them into our fields. They have started damaging the already weakened plants, adding to our losses,” he said.

The impact of the dry spell is not limited to Vadamalli. Farmers say maize, toor dal, broad beans and pumpkin crops grown in the region have also suffered due to inadequate rainfall.

With production expected to decline sharply, growers believe flower arrivals from Coimbatore could fall significantly during the Onam season, potentially pushing up market prices.

They have urged the Tamil Nadu government to assess the crop damage and announce compensation, particularly for small and marginal farmers whose livelihoods have been severely affected by the prolonged rain deficit.

Source - https://www.thehansindia.com