Chennai, Aug 9 (IANS) Kuruvai paddy cultivation in Tamil Nadu’s delta region has recorded a substantial increase this year, with the crop being raised over 2,33,163 hectares across five districts, a 56 per cent jump from last year’s coverage of 1,49,184 hectares.

Officials credit the impressive rise to the timely release of water from the Mettur reservoir and the early onset of the southwest monsoon.

According to figures from the Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Department, the increase spans the districts of Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai and Tiruchy.

Among them, Tiruvarur has seen the sharpest growth, with 37,611 additional hectares brought under cultivation compared to 2024.

Last year, the sluices of the Mettur dam were opened only on July 28, delaying preparations for the season. In contrast, this year’s announcement came a month in advance, giving farmers sufficient time to ready their fields.

On the day of water release, the reservoir’s storage was a healthy 115 feet (86 TMC). Since then, heavy rain in the catchment areas of Karnataka and Kerala have led to copious inflows, enabling the dam to touch its full storage level of 120 feet (93.47 TMC) on four occasions.

“With one month’s advance announcement on the opening of the Mettur dam, farmers were able to make early arrangements for kuruvai cultivation,” said Sami Natarajan, State General Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Farmers’ Association and a farmer from Thanjavur district.

“Many who traditionally grew only samba paddy have chosen to raise kuruvai this year as well, thanks to the timely release of water,” Natarajan said.

K.M. Govindaraju, a farmer, pointed out that farmers equipped with energised pump sets began raising nurseries as early as May, which contributed to the significant increase in cultivated area.

He expressed confidence that the crop would be successful this year, given the comfortable storage in the Mettur reservoir.

Agricultural officials note that paddy transplanted or sown until July 31 qualifies as kuruvai crop.

The marked expansion in acreage this year is expected to improve production and offer better returns for thousands of farmers in the fertile delta belt.

With water availability assured and favourable weather conditions so far, the outlook for this season’s kuruvai harvest appears promising.

–IANS

aal/svn