Bumper paddy harvest for third year in succession

By S. Vydhianathan

CHENNAI, MARCH 26. Despite various limitations, including inadequate water supply, failure of monsoon and lack of finance, farmers in the State have managed to record a bumper paddy harvest for the third year in succession.

Samba paddy production, which is normally about 75 to 80 lakh tonnes, had touched 83 lakh tonnes in the last two years. This year it may cross 85 lakh tonnes, according to a preliminary assessment. In terms of rice it is about 56 lakh tonnes, a record in recent years, according to official sources.

Though both the monsoons had failed farmers were able to complete the entire farming operations without any hitch thanks to the comfortable water position in major reservoirs and local tanks.

With the completion of samba harvest in about 15.25 lakh hectares in the current season, the per hectare productivity is estimated at about 6 tonnes in delta areas and about 7 tonnes in non-delta areas.

In delta districts, about 5.4 lakh hectares were brought under samba, including 1.9 lakh hectares in `thaladi' (late samba). Of this, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, and Nagapattinam districts accounted for the maximum coverage with the remaining four districts, Cuddalore, Tiruchi, Pudukottai, Perambalur and Karur districts, contributing a marginal area, according to official sources.

The remaining 10 lakh hectares were in non-delta areas with one lakh hectares each from Kancheepuram, Tiruvellore, Vellore, Villupuram and Tirunelveli districts.

The bumper yield has been reflected in the record procurement of paddy by the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation. In the current season the corporation purchased about 16 lakh tonnes of paddy, including 15 lakh tonnes in the delta districts alone. Never before the corporation had purchased so much quantity, according to official sources.

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Section  : Southern States
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