Farmers need not panic, say officials

In the event of the current spell of rainfall getting intense, there was a possibility for submergence of paddy fields to the extent of about 10,000 hectares in Nagapattinam and Mayiladuthurai distric

In the event of the current spell of rainfall getting intense, there was a possibility for submergence of paddy fields to the extent of about 10,000 hectares in Nagapattinam and Mayiladuthurai districts but there was no cause for panic since the crop has the capacity to withstand the inundation for four to five days, according to official sources.

As per reports submitted by the two district administrations to the Central team that inspected the fields to assess the damages caused by north east monsoon rainfall, 5,917.28 hectares in Nagapattinam and 5,423 hectares in Mayiladuthurai had been inundated. The fields where the crop damage was beyond 33 % were accounted for in the enumeration exercise, a senior official said.

After the water recedes, the crop in fields where the extent of damage was below 30 % could be salvaged with specified methods of utilisation of micronutrients and fertilizers, Joint Director of Agriculture Paneerselvam, Nagapattinam, Paneerselvam said.