Tamil Nadu's FM Surveys Flood-Hit Farms in Virudhunagar District

Tamil Nadu's Finance Minister (FM) Thangam Thennarasu conducted an on-site inspection of rain-affected fields in the Kariyapatti and Tiruchuli blocks within Virudhunagar district on Saturday— a district southwest of the state capital, Chennai.

The Minister visited Mudukkankulam and Sivalingapuram in Kariyapatti block and Ulakkudi in Tiruchuli block of Tamil Nadu along with the District Collector V.P. Jayaseelan to assess the flood-hit area. He also engaged with distressed farmers affected by the heavy rainfall.

According to the media reports, the traditional practice of direct seed sowing of paddy in these areas resulted in extensive damage. Direct seed sowing is a crop establishment system wherein rice seeds are sown directly into the field, as opposed to the traditional method of growing seedlings in a nursery, and then transplanting into flooded fields.

The matured plants are said to have collapsed under the heavy downpour, with some areas submerged in floodwater. Moreover, many paddy crops were in the critical panicle initiation stage and were unlikely to recover from the adverse effects of the rain.

Expressing concern over the substantial losses incurred by farmers, Thennarasu assured them of relief measures due to this natural calamity.

During the inspection, the Finance Minister directed revenue and agriculture authorities to promptly conduct a comprehensive joint survey. He emphasized that no affected farmer should be overlooked when distributing compensation.

An assessment for evaluating crop losses in Virudhnagar District will commence soon to give an overview of the total losses. Presently, the concerned officials from the village administrative and assistant agriculture offices are said to be evaluating crop losses in Thoothukudi district.

Virudhunagar district witnessed widespread agricultural activities, encompassing paddy, millets, pulses, cotton, oilseeds, and sugarcane across its 11 blocks. Farmers experiencing over 33 percent crop loss are eligible for full compensation as per the Minister's assurance.