IMD forecast for early monsoon brightens Kuruvai prospects in TN's Cauvery delta

Chennai, May 11 (IANS) The Tamil Nadu government’s decision to release water from the Mettur dam on the customary date of June 12, along with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast of an early southwest monsoon, has boosted hopes for a significant increase in kuruvai paddy cultivation in the Cauvery delta region this year.

Farmers and agricultural experts are optimistic that the acreage under cultivation will surpass last year’s figures.

Many farmers have already begun preparing their fields, skipping the second round of crops such as black gram and sesame to focus on kuruvai paddy.

It may be recalled that Water Resources Minister Durai Murugan, while responding to a calling attention motion in the Assembly on April 25, confirmed that water would be released from the Mettur dam on June 12 to support irrigation across the delta districts.

The current water level in the Mettur reservoir supports this plan. As of Saturday evening, the reservoir stood at 108.30 feet with a storage of 76 TMC, a significant improvement over last year’s level of 51.81 feet (19 TMC) on the same date. In 2024, the low water level led to a 47-day delay in opening the dam, with water released only on July 28. The delay had severely affected farmers, especially in the tail-end areas like Nagapattinam, who were unable to take up kuruvai cultivation.

“With timely water release and the India Meteorological Department forecasting good rainfall in the Cauvery catchment areas, we expect a substantial increase in the kuruvai cultivation area this year,” said P. Kalaivanan of the Tamil Nadu Senior Agro Technologists Forum.

Echoing the sentiment, Orathanadu-based farmer Saravanan Rajan said, “Farmers are preparing their fields early this year. Many have skipped second-season crops to focus on kuruvai.”

He also urged the government to ensure an adequate supply of short-term paddy varieties and facilitate hassle-free access to crop loans.

Officials from the Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Department confirmed that kuruvai acreage is likely to rise. Seeds of short-term paddy varieties, including ADT-53, Co-51, ASD-16, TPS-5, and Co-55, are being stocked at government depots.

Additional procurement will be made based on demand, they added.

--IANS

aal/dpb