Cultivation started at Tanjore

A farmer Irrigating his paddy field in Thanjavur district on Tuesday.With water reaching the tail-end areas of major rivers in the Cauvery, Vennar and Grand Anicut canal divisions in the composite Thanjavur district, farmers are preparing for the samba cultivation.

As the Agriculture Department has advised farmers to take up cultivation (raising of seedlings and transplantation) after August 10, to avoid crop in the crucial stage getting caught in the northeast monsoon, farmers are now procuring samba seeds from the Agriculture Department.According to the Joint Director (in-charge), Agriculture, Senthamizhselvan, already 400 tonnes of samba seeds has been sold out of 1,200 tonnes of seeds available with the Agriculture Department.

The demand is more for CR1009, which has a duration of 155 days. The department has advised farmers to raise CR1009 after August 10. Other varieties, which the farmers can raise, if they take up cultivation after August 10 are, ADT44, CO43, ADT38 and ADT46 etc.Farmers have been advised to go for ADT 39, if they take up cultivation after August 20.“Farmers are heeding to the advice of the Agriculture Department and hence, we can hope for a successful samba this year. The plan is to raise samba on 1,20,000 hectares in Thanjavur district this year”, JDA said. The Government is meeting the 18 per cent of the seed demand and provides a subsidy of Rs.2 per kg.

Fertilisers are now needed only for top dressing. While fertilizers are available, the mindset for particular demand of fertilizers like SPIC is the problem faced by the department. But farmers have been advised to go for any brand without demanding a particular demand, the JDA said.There is a stock of 12,500 tonnes of Urea and Potash with the Agriculture and Cooperative Departments.