Spell out samba policy, farmers tell state govt

D Vincent Arockiaraj / Oct 30, 2023, 08:38 IST

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Spell out samba policy, farmers tell state govt

Trichy: With uncertainty prevailing among farmers over raising samba paddy crops this season due to non-availability of water to irrigate, the farming community has turned to the state government to come up with its policy on samba cultivation without delay.
Though the government comes out with a policy for every crop season after finalizing the targeted area of cultivation, fund allotted for loan, special package etc, it has been remaining mute so far this season despite the unusual situation, say farmers.The Cauvery river is dry, ground water table has depleted and there is interruption in agriculture power supply, they said.
The government should provide fuel subsidies and uninterrupted power supply to take up samba cultivation, said Swamimalai S Vimalnathan, secretary of Tamil Nadu Cauvery Farmers Protection Association. He called for convening a joint consultative meeting of stakeholders .
With the closure of Mettur reservoir, there is uncertainty over seven lakh to eight lakh acres of samba cultivation in delta districts which rely on Cauvery water and monsoon. Hence, disaster management plans should be chalked out, said Arupathi P Kalyanam of Federation of Farmers’ Associations. N Veerasekaran of Bharatiya Kisan Sangam called for an effective alternative crop method .

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