Chennai, Aug 26 : Encouraged by the success of kuruvai cultivation, farmers in the Cauvery Delta have now started preparations for samba crop, hoping to replicate the bumper yield as steady inflows into reservoirs and widespread rainfall create favourable conditions.

The annual release from Mettur Dam on June 12 enabled farmers to take up kuruvai cultivation without delay. According to the agriculture department figures, kuruvai was raised on 5.66 lakh acres, surpassing the target of 5.32 lakh acres.

Adequate storage in the Mettur dam, coupled with a brisk southwest monsoon, has boosted farmers' confidence, and the kuruvai crop is already set for a prosperous yield. Traditionally, many farmers concentrate on samba alone, while others alternate between kuruvai and thalady depending on water availability and financial conditions.

Officials noted that while increased acreage for kuruvai this year has slightly reduced the area available for samba, thalady cultivation is expected to gain more coverage after the current season.

For samba, the target acreage has been fixed at 3.07 lakh in Thanjavur, 3.46 lakh in Tiruvarur, 1.67 lakh in Mayiladuthurai, 1.56 lakh in Nagapattinam and 1.35 lakh in Tiruchy.

Farmers have begun ploughing, preparing nurseries and transplanting seedlings in several parts of the region.

Senior agricultural technocrat P. Kalaivanan expressed confidence that water availability would not be an issue this year, stating that the 120 TMC required for the season could be met through current Mettur storage and continued rainfall.

He added that completing sowing by September would help farmers avoid losses from the northeast monsoon, which in turn would further supplement the water needed for the crop.

The Mettur reservoir has been full for the past five days, and officials pointed out that in its 91 years of existence, it has reached full capacity in 51 years, underlining the favourable situation this season.

Farmers, however, stressed that government support was crucial to ensure they could maximise the yield.

AKR Ravichandar, president of the Cauvery Delta Farmers Association, said farmers dependent on river irrigation focus entirely on samba but often receive only modest returns despite months of work.

He appealed to the state government to announce a special samba package on par with the kuruvai scheme, demanding a full subsidy for paddy seeds and a 50 per cent subsidy for fertilisers.

Farmers also urged authorities to monitor private fertiliser firms, alleging that they are forced to buy nano fertilisers along with DAP.

With reservoirs brimming, rains arriving on time and cultivators pushing for timely support measures, hopes are high across the Delta that samba will deliver another season of prosperity.

/IANS