While the off-season rain over the past few days has brought much-needed relief from the scorching summer, farmers in some parts of the district have been left worried over the damage caused by the rain to standing crops. Farmers, who had cultivated blackgram in Vayalur, Jeeyapuram, Allur, Manachanallur, Lalgudi and Musiri areas reported that the rain had damaged the crop that was ready for harvest in many places.
Puliyur A. Nagarajan, a farmers’ representative of the Tamil Maanila Congress, estimates that the crop on about 1,000 acres of land in the district could have been affected. Farmers were faced with the prospect of heavy losses as the rain had come at the time of harvest. In some places, farmers had left the harvested crop on the field for drying. Such harvested crop has sprouted in some places while in other places the pulse had been left discoloured.
On an average farmers have spent about Rs.10,000 to Rs. 15,000 to raise the crop and were hoping to get a return of Rs. 35,000 to Rs. 40,000 an acre. But now the yield would be badly affected. Affected farmers should be sanctioned a compensation of at least Rs. 25,000 an acre, he said.
The district received widespread rain on Friday, for the third continuous night. Tiruchi City too received sharp showers, which helped keep the day-time temperature under check. Significantly, Thathaiyengarpet, a drought-prone rain-fed area in the district, received the maximum of 85 mm of rainfall during the 24-hour period ending at 8.30 a.m. on Saturday.
The following is the chief amount of rainfall recorded in other parts of the district during the same period (in mm): Navalur Kottapattu 71.60; Vathalai Anicut 66.50; Devimangalam 66; Kuppampatti 60; Samayapuram 50, Tiruchi Junction 45.80; Lalgudi 45.20; Nandhiyar Head 38.50; Tiruchi Airport 34.60; Tiruchi Town 34.20; Golden Rock 32.60; Thuraiyur 31; Pulivalam and Thenparanadu 30 each; Musiri 18; Pullampadi 16.80 and Sirukudi 15.
The district received an average of 33.10 mm of rainfall.
