This story is from April 14, 2016

Farmers elated with met department's announcement of above normal monsoon

The meteorological department's prediction of above normal monsoon this year has come as a boon for farmers, who are keeping their hopes alive as the region underwent a drought-like situation till 2015, receiving less than average rainfall since 2012.
Farmers elated with met department's announcement of above normal monsoon
Madurai: The meteorological department's prediction of above normal monsoon this year has come as a boon for farmers, who are keeping their hopes alive as the region underwent a drought-like situation till 2015, receiving less than average rainfall since 2012. Copious rainfall this year can ensure that the region overcomes drought-like conditions fully.

According to agricultural officials, though the met department has predicted only less than normal rainfall for Tamil Nadu and North East, the state depends heavily on good monsoon rains in neighbouring Kerala and Karnataka.
Only torrential rainfall will ensure that reservoirs in the state will fill to the brim since most of them receive their flow from western ghats. Good South West monsoon will assure bumper paddy crop in vast delta region, Mullaperiyar - Vaigai basin and Tamirabarani basin. "If the South West monsoon is good in neighbouring states, we can assure that our farmers will reap good harvest in kuruvai season", said joint director of agriculture, S Kanagaraj.
In the last few years, water level in Mullaperiyar started fluctuating heavily. For instance, water for samba crop was released in November 2015 against September since Mullaperiyar failed to fill up even during South West monsoon. Subsequently, entire cultivation was delayed and paddy cultivation area shrunk to 54,759 hectares against the usual 61,500 hectares. If South West monsoon fills Mullaperiyar in time, the farming season is going to be more than profitable this year, according to the farming community.
Other than paddy and sugarcane - water intensive crops - cultivated through reservoirs, majority of agricultural lands are rain-fed. Further, the state depends on North East monsoon and gets little rain during South West monsoon period.
"Our cultivation pattern depends on North East monsoon and if there are good rains then, we can get good returns through crops like millets and pulses too," said K Devaraj, a farming community leader from Usilampatti.
However, farmers are also equally worried that elections in state may delay any desilting or repair works of channels and village tanks. Water bodies have been neglected for long significantly depleting their storage capacity. It is important that government too plays an equal role in preparing water bodies in time to realise the benefit of good monsoons this year, farmers said.
End of Article
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA