Greetings to Our Readers,
It is heartening to see that reservoirs across Tamil Nadu, including Chennai’s water sources, are mostly full this year. While the recent rains have unfortunately damaged young crops in some irrigated areas, this impact was unavoidable.
The government should step in to support these affected farmers, providing ample financial assistance based on their production costs. Overall, it appears that this year will be productive and satisfying for agriculture in these regions.
Many areas that rely on groundwater for farming have also received widespread rainfall. Even in typically dry regions like Madurai, which often miss out on rainfall during cyclones, the rains have been plentiful this year. However, since there has been limited water inflow to ponds, wells in these areas also lack sufficient recharge. Consequently, farmers here are encouraged to select crops with lower water requirements.
In rainfed regions, farmers anticipate a good yield this season. Crops such as pearl millet, foxtail millet, finger millet, kodo millet, little millet, and proso millet, along with pulses like pigeon pea, black gram, green gram, field beans, and horse gram, are cultivated extensively in these areas.
Thus, there is renewed hope for a fulfilling agricultural production season, with ample fodder for livestock as well.
— Editor’s Note, October 2014 Issue
