Farmers demand more water from Bhavanisagar reservoir Take out massive rally urging the govt. to return to previous norm Protest:Farmers from Thadapalli — Arakkankottai ayacut taking out a procession in Gobichettipalayam on Monday demanding the release of more water from Bhavanisagar dam. —PHOTO: M. GOVARTHAN Farmers from the Thadapalli — Arakkankottai ayacuts took out a massive rally in Gobichettipalayam on Monday demanding more water from the Bhavanisagar reservoir. More than 10,000 farmers, including a large number of women, participated in the rally demanding the Central and State governments to provide water to the two old ayacuts of Bhavani river as per the old practice. About 25,000 acres in these two ayacuts received water from the Bhavanisagar dam for a period of 10 months starting from April 15 every year. This was a practice followed for several years. But this had been reduced to 65 days a year based on the final verdict of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal. The quantum of water released to the two ayacuts was also reduced from 14 tmcft to 4.65 tmcft. Claiming that injustice had been meted out to the farmers in the two ayacuts, the agitators wanted the government to return to the previous norm of releasing water for 10 months. “The norm had been followed since the construction of the Kodiveri anaicut 500 years ago. We cannot accept the reduction of the number of days and the quantum of water to the two old ayacuts,” Thadapalli — Arakkankottai Farmers Association Subi. Thalapathi said. The reduction of water to the two old ayacuts would affect the livelihood of thousands of farmers, he added. Since the Tamil Nadu government could not get its share of Cauvery water, it was trying to draw more water from the Bhavani river and provide it to the delta districts. Instead of depriving the farmers in the western region of water, the government should try hard to get the due share of water from Karnataka, farmers demanded. Farmers threatened that they would resort to a series of agitations if the government continued to implement the tribunal’s order and reduce water to the two old ayacuts. Kodiveri Anai Pasanatharargal Sangam President Thangam Palanisamy led the protest. Existing price of turmeric not remunerative, say farmers Though the turmeric crop size in Tamil Nadu has witnessed a sharp fall and the arrivals during the current season are quite thin compared with the last year, the prices of the yellow spice have not picked up as expected by the farming community. Except the hybrid crop, the prices of many varieties continue to hover around Rs. 7,500 to Rs. 8,500 a tonne, which according to farmers was not remunerative. “The actual demand from market has not picked up. Only the stockists are buying the yellow spice as there is a general perception among them that there will be a significant rise in the prices in the future. The absence of demand keeps the prices low,” Ulavan Producers Company vice-chairman D. Venkateshwaran says. ‘Farmers’ Festival’ begins in Nellai The ‘Farmers’ Festival’, which is being conducted for the second consecutive year to create awareness regarding the State Government’s welfare programmes for the agriculturists and to disseminate modern farming techniques through village-level campaigns, commenced in the district on Sunday. Minister for Tourism P. Senthurpandian inaugurated the second- edition of the festival in the presence of Collector C. Samayamoorthy at Kottaakulam near Tenkasi. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Senthurpandian said the agrarian community should utilise the month-long awareness campaign and understand the modern farming practices being advocated during this special drive to increase the yield. As monsoon had failed consecutively for the past four years, farmers were facing crop loss due to acute water scarcity. Hence, the farmers should adopt techniques like System of Rice Intensification where they could get maximum yield by using less quantity of water. “Almost all farmers in our district have suffered huge crop loss owing to drought-like situation and hence the Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had deputed a high-level team to inspect the district and to interact with the farmers. The Chief Minister will certainly bail you out,” Mr. Senthurpandian said. Mr. Samayamoorthy, in his address, said the awareness campaign would be conducted in all the 585 revenue villages in the district during which distribution of welfare schemes and farm implements would also be conducted. Joint Director of Agriculture K. Soundararajan was present during the function. Carry drinking water from reservoirs through pipelines, urge farmers’ body The Federation of Tamil Nadu Agriculturists’ Associations has requested the Tamil Nadu Government not to directly release water from reservoirs into the rivers for drinking purposes but to convey water through pipelines along the bunds of the rivers so as to prevent the contamination of the water by the industrial effluents and municipal sewage discharged into the rivers. A resolution to this effect was passed at a meeting of the federation held here recently. The federation urged the government to lay pipelines along the rivers for releasing water for drinking purposes. The pipelines carrying water from the drinking water headworks in the rivers should also be linked to these pipelines, the resolution stated. By another resolution, the federation urged the Tamil Nadu Government to regulate the lift irrigation methods adopted by farmers along the rivers such as Cauvery, Bhavani and Amaravati and along the supply channels and protect the riparian rights of the farmers. The federation urged the government to expedite the payment of drought relief of Rs. 15,000 per acre in the delta districts and to ensure the payment of the assured compensation. It also urged the government to provide drought relief to the affected farmers in the non-delta districts as well. It appealed to the government to remove the encroachments on all water bodies in the delta districts which were encroached owing to neglect over the years in view of the farmers’ total dependence on the water released from the Mettur reservoir from 1934 onwards. Desilting operation The federation requested the government to undertake a mass desilting operation in all the reservoirs and other water bodies in the State as a drought-relief measure. This is the opportune moment for undertaking the desilting operation, the resolution stated. S. Nallasamy, Secretary of the federation presided. Farmers get incentives Ten farmers who took good care of milch animals and 15 others who took good care of sheep and goats given for free under a State scheme received an incentive of Rs. 19,000 and Rs. 19,500 respectively. Workshop on farmers’ rights A one-day workshop, organised by the M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), Chennai, on the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act, 2001 concluded at Sulthan Bathery recently. The workshop was organised in association with the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority (PPVFRA). Z. Abraham, Principal Scientist, National Bureau of Plant Genetics Resources (NBPGR), Thrissur, led classes on major functions of the Authority and benefits to the farmers under the Act. M. Geetha Rani, senior scientist, MSSRF, Chennai, who is also the coordinator of the programme, briefed the gathering on how MSSRF was facilitating benefit sharing, recognition and suitable reward and registration of farmers. The organisation was planning to organise similar programmes for the farming community in Tamil Nadu and Orissa, she added. Nearly 75 farmers participated in the programme. Cost reduction technologies in focus at key farm meeting Farmers’ problems discussed at annual zonal meet The annual zonal research and extension advisory council meeting for scarce rainfall zone comprising the Kurnool and Anantapur districts laid stress on cost reduction technologies while ensuring productivity so as to mitigate the effects of drought and lower yields in the two districts. Agricultural scientists, officials of the Agriculture Department, progressive farmers and extension scientists participated in the meeting which was held at the Agriculture Research Station at Rekulakunta village here on Monday. Speaking at the meeting, District Water Management Agency project director Dilli Rao urged the scientists to concentrate on new ways to ensure soil and water conservation. He stressed that soil erosion in the districts was amongst the most severe in the country, which if unchecked could spell doom for agriculture in the long run. Associate Director (Research) Dr. Padmalatha presented last year’s most notable research findings and other developments at the meeting. Amongst the developments were the Bengal gram harvester, planter cum herbicide sprayer besides the aqua planter, which also gives a certain amount of water while sowing the seeds to ensure germination, in spite of delayed rainfall. The development of shorter duration variety of Korra (millets), Suryanandi variety, which matures in just 65 days, was hailed by the scientific community as an important development given that the reduced time could mean both faster yields as well as resistance to drought. Use latest techniques and harness solar power, Kanna tells farmers Agriculture Minister Kanna Lakhminarayana inaugurated a three- day exhibition featuring agricultural implements and other farm inputs at the market yard here on Monday. It was organised by the Agriculture Department with the objective of exposing the farmers to latest technologies in their field. On the occasion, Mr. Lakshminarayana called upon the farmers to learn about the latest techniques of agriculture and be acquainted with the ways of achieving higher yields through mechanisation to which the government attached due priority. He asserted that the government was committed to welfare of farmers and has been implementing various schemes towards that goal. Mr. Lakshminarayana called upon the farmers to make use of solar power in a substantial manner as it is a reliable source of energy and cost-efficient in the near term.