The State appears on course to meet its targets for food grain production, if the area-wise coverage of crops is any indication.
During the current long-term samba cultivation season, paddy is being raised in around 10.9 lakh hectares, according to data available with the State Agriculture Department. Of this figure, around 5.97 lakh hectares (ha) fall under areas other than the Cauvery delta, while the remaining 4.9 lakh ha come under the delta.
[According to the government, the delta refers to Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam districts in their entirety, and parts of Tiruchi, Karur, Ariyalur, Pudukottai and Cuddalore.]
For the corresponding period of the previous year, the coverage was about 9.8 lakh ha, of which the non-delta areas’ share was 5 lakh ha, and the delta’s, 4.8 lakh ha.
The optimism of the authorities is based on two factors – the continued full water level of the Mettur reservoir —the lifeline of the delta — and the rainfall pattern of the current northeast monsoon. With one more month to go for the monsoon to start losing its intensity, the authorities are expecting at least a few more heavy spells of rain in the coming weeks.
The increase in coverage by around one lakh hectares under the samba season this year neutralises the fall during the short-term kuruvai season. As against 2.75 lakh ha during the 2018-19 kuruvai season, the figure this time was 1.95 lakh ha.
The total coverage of paddy for the current year will be worked out after the third season – thaladi – gets over. As of now, paddy is being grown in approximately 12.83 lakh ha — about 24,000 hectares more than last year.
During 2018-19, the total coverage of paddy was 17.22 lakh ha. With a productivity of about 3.75 tonnes per ha, the production was 64.54 lakh tonnes.
This time, cultivation of millets and pulses has been taken up in 11.581 lakh ha, with millets accounting for 7.9 lakh ha. Compared to the previous year, there has been a 71,000-ha rise in the coverage of millets, and a marginal dip in respect of pulses, to the extent of 5,500 ha.
In terms of production of food grains, the State’s figure touched 104 lakh tonnes last year, which included 33.81 lakh tonnes of millets and 5.67 lakh tonnes of pulses.
