Edappadi K Palaniswami to farmers: Go for direct sowing

CHENNAI: In a fervent plea to conserve and optimally utilize the available Cauvery waters this year, Chief Minister, Mr. Edappadi K Palaniswami, who is himself a farmer, on Friday called upon the farmers in Cauvery delta districts to go for ‘direct sowing’ of their ‘Samba’ (long-term) paddy crop this year, to ensure that not a single drop of water is wasted.

With good rains in the Cauvery’s catchment areas in Karnataka and reservoirs filling up in the upper riparian state, the excess flows from there has helped to replenish the water storage at Stanley reservoir at Mettur, where the water level has crossed the 115-ft mark against its full level of 120-ft.

Once the water level was close to the 100-ft mark, Mr. Palaniswami himself had switched on the button at Mettur reservoir to release Cauvery waters for delta irrigation on August 13. Subsequently, on August 17, water was released for irrigation into the Cauvery delta system of canals from Grand Anicut. The discharge from Mettur is presently 10,000 cusecs for delta irrigation.

In a statement here, Mr. Palaniswami urged the farmers to economise on the use of water and go for direct sowing of Samba paddy seeds instead of raising nurseries and transplanting them which will require more water.  He said by going for direct sowing, farmers could save up to 42-tmcft to 45-tmcft of water.

Mr. Palaniswami said direct sowing would help in early harvest by 10-15 days. He said certain paddy seeds varieties such as CR-1009, CR-1009 (SUB 1), Ko-50, ATT-50, TKM-13, be stocked in adequate quantity for benefit of farmers and the Agriculture department has been directed in this regard.

Mr. Palaniswami said to encourage more farmers go for direct sowing of paddy, he has passed orders to give an incentive subsidy of Rs 600 per acre. A sum of Rs 30 crore has been allotted for this purpose this year, he said.

Stating that paddy cultivation is being taken up in 43.50 lakh acres in the state this year, in the Cauvery delta districts alone, 13 lakh acres have been targeted for ‘Samba’ paddy cultivation using canal irrigated water from Mettur reservoir.

Mr. Palaniswami also announced that farmers going in for direct sowing of paddy in other districts also (other than Cauvery delta districts) would be entitled to the ‘Uzhavu Maanyam (sowing subsidy)’ of Rs 600 per acre.

The government expects at least five lakh acres to be under direct sowing of paddy seeds this year.