Coal news and updates

Summer paddy crop has been raised on 80,000 acres in Thanjavur district

With the scorching sun troubling farmers and labourers working on the fields no end, inadequate power supply for irrigation is compounding the problems of the delta farmers who had raised summer paddy in close to 80,000 acres of land in the region.

Other standing crops such as gingelley, cotton, and sugarcane too suffer forcing farmers to demand assured three-phase power supply for fixed pre-announced duration. With the kuruvai crops in the past four seasons failing them because of inadequate flow of water down the Cauvery, farmers in some pockets of the delta region depend heavily on the summer paddy crop for their cash requirements.

The crop assuming importance, irrigation had now become a spot of bother for the farmers who were threatened by the hot and humid weather with temperatures hovering around 40 degrees Celsius coupled with inadequate water supply even though they depend on borewells and filter points for sourcing water.

Unfortunately for them, unannounced power cuts had put paid to their hopes of reaping a good harvest.

“We need assured three-phase power supply continuously for at least six hours during the day and at night for completely irrigating the fields. But that is not happening in many parts of the district now. We don't know when we will get power as the TANGEDCO officials themselves are not in a position to say so,” points out vice-president of the Tamil Nadu Vivasaya Thozhilalar Sangam V. Jeevakumar.

Complaints galore that in some pockets three-phase power supply was extended only for about three hours and that too in unearthly hours when farmers are not in a position to irrigate their fields. With groundwater levels plummeting, the need for more power to irrigate all areas in a farm is felt by all farmers. Shorter spells of three-phase power supply will be of little use for them.

Even during the required power supply, there have been instances when agricultural pumpset motors getting damaged because of low voltage. The quality of power being supplied had come into question now and farmers loath frequently mending their power motors.

Meanwhile, farmers in the Kumbakonam region of Thanjavur district had alleged scarcity of urea in their area.

The farmers are forced to purchase urea from private dealers who conveniently jack up the price according to their whims and fancies.

Kumbakonam, Tiruvidaimarudur, and Papanasam are some of the affected areas, say farmers bodies.

The farmers require urea for basal application ahead of planting in the case of paddy. However, in some primary agricultural cooperative societies, the officials could not meet the demands of the member farmers who had to shell out more to source it from private dealers.

Source: The Hindu.com