CHENNAI: Transplantation of the samba crop is in full swing, especially in the delta districts.
Transplantation of nurseries is over in 3.58 lakh hectares and it will go on till October-end, according to an Agriculture Department official here.
In the delta districts — Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam — transplantation is over in 27,000 hectares as against the normal area of 3.75 lakh hectares.
A section of the farmers in Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur had gone for direct sowing and so far 30,000 hectares have been covered.
Though the Government fixed an ambitious target of bringing 17 lakh hectares under the samba coverage for the current season, the department hopes to exceed the normal coverage by at least one lakh hectares.
The official said thanks to sufficient storage in the Mettur reservoir there would not be any problem in getting water for completing the samba cultivation in the delta districts.
On Tuesday, the reservoir was full with an inflow of 23,479 cusecs. The outflow for delta irrigation was being maintained at 20,000 cusecs. In other districts too the storage levels in the reservoirs were sufficient to meet the irrigation needs of samba crops.
Kuruvai crop
In the short-term kuruvai crop, there was a shortfall of 95,000 hectares due to poor storage in the reservoirs. As against the normal coverage of 2.82 lakh hectares, 1.88 lakh hectares were brought under cultivation. In the delta districts, as against the normal coverage of 2.074 lakh hectares, only 67,600 hectares could be covered as the Mettur reservoir was not opened on June 12 this year.
The official was confident that the shortfall in kuruvai would be compensated in the samba crop.
Printer friendly
page Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
