Chennai, May 19 : A panel of senior agricultural technocrats in Tamil Nadu has urged the state government to take proactive steps to guide farmers in paddy cultivation, aligning with water availability and seasonal timelines to ensure maximum crop yield.

The committee, comprising P. Kalaivanan, P. Venkatesan, V. Palaniappan, and V. Kaliyamurthy, welcomed the government's decision to release water from the Mettur Dam starting June 12. They emphasised that this move presents a timely opportunity for effective Kuruvai and Samba paddy cultivation, provided proper advisory and support mechanisms are in place.

In their recommendations, the experts stressed the importance of optimising available groundwater resources to cultivate at least four lakh acres under the Kuruvai crop. They further suggested setting a cultivation target of 5.25 lakh acres for Kuruvai, 9.30 lakh acres for Samba, and 4.50 lakh acres for Thaladi.

To protect crops from potential damage during the Northeast Monsoon, the technocrats advised that Kuruvai nursery planting be completed by June 30 and Samba planting by August 15.

They also called for large-scale awareness campaigns to promote direct sowing methods during the Samba season to improve efficiency and resilience.

However, the experts warned that achieving these targets would require a minimum of 330 TMC of water. Currently, storage levels stand at just 76 TMC, of which only 70 TMC is usable for irrigation.

In this context, they urged the state government to ensure the release of the state's due share of 167.25 TMC of water from Karnataka under the inter-state agreement.

Additionally, the panel highlighted the urgent need to desilt C and D canals and their branch networks to facilitate smooth water flow to the tail-end regions. They argued that proper canal maintenance, combined with timely water release and strategic crop planning, is essential for maximising productivity during the upcoming cultivation cycle.

The technocrats concluded by emphasising that coordinated action, farmer awareness, and efficient water use are key to overcoming climatic uncertainties and ensuring food security in the state.

/IANS