The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Samba preparations begin in Thanjavur district

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Aug 10, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Samba preparations begin in Thanjavur district

By G. Srinivasan

THANJAVUR, AUG. 9. Farmers of Thanjavur district have started samba preparations, thanks to the State Government's announcement of release of water from the Mettur dam on August 12.

Heavy rain in the district on Friday and Saturday activated the farmers and they have taken up ploughing at many places. A farmer who was tilling the land said he would sow the seeds within a week.

Navaneetha Krishnan, Joint Director of Agriculture, said the plan was to raise samba on 1.25 lakh hectares in the district this year. Farmers were asked to raise nurseries by hiring pumpsets or raise community nurseries (farmers having large landholdings and pumpsets will raise the nursery and supply seedlings to small farmers) for taking up samba cultivation with canal water when it reached their areas.

He said nurseries had been raised on 200 hectares in Kumbakonam and Thrivudidaimaruthur areas.

Farmers say this is the right time to release water, as transplantation of samba should be completed by October 15 for the crop to withstand the northeast monsoon in November and December. Water would reach tail-end areas by August 20 if it was released on August 12. With preparatory works getting completed by then there would be sufficient time to transplant the crop.

Stock of samba seeds

The Joint Director said there was adequate stock of samba seeds with the department. "We have 500 tonnes of samba seeds and private parties 1,100 tonnes," Mr. Krishnan said.

The Agriculture department had been recommending sowing of medium-term varieties of samba seeds — ADT39 and CO43 — with a period of 120 to 130 days and ADT38 with a period of 135 to 140 days.

The department also advised farmers in tail-end areas to go in for direct sowing of samba.

Meanwhile, Kuruvai had been raised on 24,136 hectares using pumpset water in the district this year. Kuruvai harvest had started in some areas.

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