Delta to see record harvest

THANJAVUR: The Cauvery delta region of Thanjavur and Tiruvarur districts will witness record harvest of Samba and Thaladi crops, assured agriculture department officials in the region. More than one lakh tonne of paddy has been procured in Thanjavur and it would reach 1.2 lakh tonne, said a TNCSC officials. In Tiruvarur, TNCSC has collected more than 1.1 lakh tonne of paddy from the farmers in the district. With 1,03,646 hectares of Samba and 36,939 hectares of Thaladi raised this year, which is slightly higher than the 2010 levels, the harvest has reached its peak in Thanjavur and Tiruvarur.According to agriculture department officials, harvest is complete on 37,500 hectares combining Samba and Thaladi crops in Thanjavur, and in Tiruvarur the figures reached 38,000 hectares. However, several factors affected the farming community during the season.Fertiliser ShortageDuring the initial stages, agriculture suffered when farmers across the region protested against the high price of fertiliser. Later, acute shortage of urea, DAP and composite forced farmers to wait till the government revived supplies.Irregular RainfallIn 2011, the Cauvery delta region saw the worst climatic changes when irregular rainfall was reported in the region with the outbreak of spring disease affecting some areas. Later, water stagnation problems resulted in crop damage. Cyclone Thane affected low-lying regions in Tiruvarur and Thanjavur. An official said about 4 per cent crops were damaged. Procurement MethodFarmers complain about procurement methods followed by direct procurement centres. According to S Vimalanathan of Cauvery Delta Farmers Association, last year, a scheme of procurement from fields was introduced. However, this year, the scheme was not available and farmers incured excess expenditure to bring the harvest to the DPC.