Farmers’ bodies seek early announcement of kuruvai special package

Farmers in Tiruchi await kuruvai special package announcement to support paddy cultivation amid low Mettur reservoir levels.

Farmers in Tiruchi have urged the State government to announce a kuruvai special package early as a majority of farmers would have to depend on groundwater in view of the poor storage in the Mettur reservoir.

For the past two years, after opening the Mettur dam for irrigation in the second week of June, the Tamil Nadu government had implemented kuruvai special packages for the delta districts.

The package includes 45 kg of urea, 50 kg of Di-ammonium Phosphate, and 25 kg of potash per acre at no cost. This time as the water level in Mettur has not reached sufficient level due to lack of rain in Karnataka, farmers here expect a delay in opening the dam.

Yet, farmers are expected to take up kuruvai paddy cultivation, with the help of pump sets. An early announcement of the special package would help them take up the cultivation with confidence and reduce their total expenditure, say farmers’ organisations.

“In Tiruchi, a good number of farmers are involved in kuruvai cultivation using pump sets. The government should encourage them by coming out with a special package, which would help them greatly,” said N. Veerasekaran, State secretary of the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS).

Vayalur N. Rajendran from Tamil Maanila Congress said: “Along with the kuruvai special package, the State government should come up with comprehensive measures to encourage farmers, including timely loans, ensuring free and required electricity for the pump sets and quality seeds. The government should also extend the scheme to non-delta regions, which could enable more farmers to opt for kuruvai cultivation.”

A district-level Agriculture Department official said that in 2022, the kuruvai special package was extended for 5,700 acres and in 2023 it was raised to 6,500 acres. This year, an increase was expected. The unexpected recent rain has recharged the groundwater, and this would greatly enhance the potential for kuruvai cultivation.