Farmers who have cultivated rain-fed crops in the district are starring at heavy loss this year as the ‘summer rain’, which would usually save the standing crops between July and October, has let down the growers at the crucial phase.

 After preparing with sheep penning and ploughing their farms where they can only go in for the cultivation of rain-fed crops, the agriculturists of the northern Thoothukudi district had sowed maize and cotton after applying Di-Ammonium-Phosphate as basal fertilizer. As the ‘summer rain’ wetted these areas this year between July and August, the farmers had to allocate more resources and dedicate time for weeding this year.

“Even as we were hoping that the rain that blessed us in July and August would continue in September and October also, the rain stopped completely even as the crop is just 1-foot-tall. With the sweltering heat continuing and there is no rain for the past one month, the crops have started withering. Our traditional belief of getting rains on ‘Mahalaya Amavaasai’ too got belied. So, we’re starring at huge loss,” says A. Varadharajan, president of Karisal Bhoomi Vivasaayigal Sangam.

 Most of the farmers have taken loan from either private moneylenders or the cooperative societies by pledging their gold ornaments for meeting the farm expenses towards ploughing, sowing and weeding. The prevailing hostile weather condition is heralding the loss they are going to suffer within next 45 days, they say.

 “Besides spending our savings, we’ve also exhausted the loans we’ve availed for the carrying out the mandatory farming operations. When we suffered crop loss in 2020 – 2021, we were hoping that the insurance company would bail us out as we had paid the premium for the crop. But we are yet to receive the benefits since the insurer is unjustly delaying the process. In 2021 -2022 season, the belated rains spoilt our harvest and the yield. Now, dry spell is gradually smothering our crops. We’ve been left at the mercy of the government which should bail us out by at least persuading the insurance firm to give us the benefits for the loss we suffered in the past. Moreover, the officials should visit our fields to take a look at the gradually dying crops so as to understand the situation,” Mr. Varadharajan said.

Source - https://www.thehindu.com