Samba paddy coverage improves in Tiruchi district after recent rain

Agricultural workers transplant paddy seedlings on a field at Keelamullaikudi village near Tiruverumbur in Tiruchi on Thursday. | Photo Credit: R. VENGADESH The recent rainfall across Tiruchi district, especially in the dry blocks of Manapparai, Marungapuri, and Vaiyampatti, have revived hopes of a better samba paddy coverage.Despite the delayed opening of the Mettur reservoir for irrigation this year, the Agriculture Department had initially expressed confidence that the normal area of about 50,000 hectares would be covered in the delta and non-delta areas of the district.But the rapidly dwindling storage in the Mettur dam and poor monsoon until mid October had undermined the confidence of farmers and hardly 2,500 hectares was covered under samba paddy in the district till then.Explaining the hesitation among farmers, K. Kangaraj, a small farmer of Keezha Mullakudi in Tiruverumbur block, who transplanted the crop on Thursday, said he had raised nursery only because he had a deep borewell though his field was irrigated by the Uyyakondan canal. “Most farmers in Keezha Mullakudi and neighbouring villages have not gone for the crop owing to the uncertainty over water availability for the entire duration of the crop,” he said.However, recent spells of rain under the northeast monsoon had brought cheers to farmers of the district. According to data of the Regional Meteorological Centre, Chennai, Tiruchi district had received 205.7 mm of rainfall between October 1 and November 5, which was 17% above the normal rainfall of 175.9 mm for the period.Sources in the Agriculture Department said samba cultivation was on in full swing in the non-delta areas. “The situation has changed in Manapparai-Marungapuri belt after the rain; there would not be too many fallow fields this season. After the rains, the farmers have raised nursery and transplantation will take place by the end of November,” a senior official of the department told The Hindu, pointing out that samba cultivation had been much delayed this year and the crop was expected to come to harvest only by February.He expected about 20,000 hectares to be covered in the non-delta areas though there was likely to be a shortfall in delta areas as only farmers in filter point areas have been able to go for samba paddy this year. “Nevertheless, we expect 10,000-15,000 hectares to be covered in the delta. The November rains would determine the coverage. So far, about 8,000 hectares has been covered in the district and the nurseries available would cover about 15,000 hectares. If there are good rains, another 10,000-15,000 hectares may be covered. Of this, 4,000 to 5,000 hectares may be brought under alternative crops such as maize, sorghum, groundnut or pulses,” he said.The department has been pushing farmers without ground water sources in the delta areas of the district to go for alternative crops. Published - November 05, 2026 10:09 pm IST