Rains mar cultivation of pulses, cotton in coastal delta districts

NAGAPATTINAM: Two days of continued downpours has affected the ongoing crop cultivations such as pulses, sesame and cotton in the coastal delta districts. Farmers have demanded enumeration surveys and provide relief according to the losses Farmers had harvested their samba and thaladi paddy crops by early February and started the cultivation of pulses such as green gram and black gram across Nagapattinam and Mayiladuthurai districts. The crops took an unexpected hit with heavy downpours on March 11 and 12.

“After Samba, I began my cultivation of green gram on about 1.5 acres. The crops were about a month old and a month away from harvest. However, my field is waterlogged due to rains. The rainwaters are not receding fast as expected due to blocks in drainage channels,” said P Manikandan, a 45-year-old farmer from Palaiyur in the Nagapattinam district.