The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Unseasonal rain leaves farmers in deep water

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Saturday, Apr 12, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Unseasonal rain leaves farmers in deep water

G. Srinivasan

Pulse cultivated as rice fallow crop

— Photo: M. Srinath

In full swing: Farmers salvaging the green gram crop after a harvest in a village near Thanjavur on Friday.

THANJAVUR: Unseasonal rain in March continuously for 12 days has brought huge loss to farmers of Thanjavur district. Many farmers have lost the pulse crop, which is a cash crop for them.

Nothing could be salvaged as 90 per cent of the pulses were damaged in rain.

Farmers in Thirukattupalli, Budalur and Thiruvaiyaru areas are trying to salvage some grains from the affected pods. Pulses are raised as a rice fallow crop in the district both in irrigated and rain-fed areas. Mostly the farmers go for black gram and green gram. From one hectare they could earn a profit of Rs 12,000.

Short-term crop

Pulse being a short-term crop ( seventy days), the income is significant. Expenditure for raising the crop is also low.

Farmers have to spend only Rs 2,500 to 3000 a hectare.

Under normal circumstances, farmers will reap about 500 kg of pulses from a hectare.

This year they could reap only 50 to 100 kg from a hectare in areas where the damage owing to rain was less.

According to Agriculture Department officials, black gram and green gram were raised on 47,616 hectares this year in the district. Out of this, 38,459 hectares was damaged owing to the unseasonal rain.

Wherever there was less damage to the crop, the quality has suffered.

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