Farmers urge immediate survey of failed paddy crop

Displaying distress over the damaged and withered crops, farmers from across the Ramanathapuram district attended the monthly farmers’ grievance redress meeting here on Friday carrying bundles of withered, chaff-like paddy crops.  

Demanding urgent intervention of the State government, the farmers cited a total failure of the monsoon that has turned their fields into grazing grounds for cattle.  

Muthuramu, District President of the Tamil Nadu Farmers’ Association, delivering a stark assessment of the situation in the coastal and interior blocks, said, “In Kadaladi, Kamuthi, and Mudukulathur, the paddy crop is completely lost.” 

“Farmers are now in the heartbreaking position of having to harvest these withered stalks just to feed their goats and cows. Before the entire crop is lost to the elements, the government must conduct an immediate field survey to facilitate drought relief and crop insurance pay outs,” he added.  

He also flagged systemic delays in the banking sector, noting that many farmers were still waiting for Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) and that cooperative banks had delayed crop loans past the sowing period. 

Addressing the credit concerns, Rajalakshmi, Managing Director of the Central Cooperative Bank, provided a breakdown of the district’s financial aid. She said, while the total allocation was ₹432 crore earmarked for crop loans, ₹397 crore has been distributed.  

Further, she added, approximately ₹72.86 crore has been credited to the accounts of 11,000 farmers but remains unwithdrawn, and the remaining ₹5 crore for eligible farmers would be disbursed within the next 48 hours. 

Regarding infrastructure, the District Collector Simranjeet Singh Kahlon noted that while 48 panchayat union tanks were desilted last year, plans are in motion to expand these efforts this year to improve water retention. 

The atmosphere grew tense as farmers from the Paramakudi region argued that their losses were preventable. They claimed that had the district administration acted soon to release water from the Vaigai river, the crops in Paramakudi and Mudukulathur could have survived their final growth stage. 

Furthermore, farmers from R.S. Mangalam demanded the immediate removal of invasive Seemai Karuvelam trees and the clearing of long-standing encroachments that have severely reduced the tank’s holding capacity.