NAU develops high-yield paddy variety that is resistant to

drought, floods
Published: Mar 04,201708:15 AM by SJ MICHAEL COLLINS

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While Delta farmers have been reeling under crop failure due to drought
conditions, a section of farmers have overcome the prevailing situation by
cultivating an improved high-yielding version of paddy, which can withstand
drought as well as floods, that was developed by the Department of Rice of the
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), Coimbatore.

The improved 1009 sub 1 variety of paddy cultivated in Needamangalam, Tiruvarur

district
Thiruchirapalli: 
While Delta farmers have been reeling under crop failure due to drought conditions, a section of
farmers have overcome the prevailing situation by cultivating an improved high-yielding version
of paddy, which can withstand drought as well as floods, that was developed by the Department
of Rice of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), Coimbatore.
TNAU incorporated the Sub-1 gene (submergence- drought tolerant gene) with the traditional
CR 1009 (Ponmani) paddy variety in 2015 and was notified by the government of India. The
variety yields at least 70 to 80 per cent of the normal yield. TNAU conducted research trials at
54 places and recorded an average yield of 5,759 kg per hectare, while in 15 locations the yield
was 6,000 kg per hectare.

“This is an improved version of CR 1009 with Sub 1 gene conferring submergence tolerance at
seedling level for 15 days immediately after transplantation and the development was monitored
by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippines,” said, Dr P Jeyaprakash,
Professor and Head, department of Rice, Centre for Plant Breeding and Genetics, TNAU. 

The professor said that the newly developed paddy can withstand 15 days in submerge
conditions and can withstand the drought condition with limited moisture condition which is
certainly the need of the hour for farmers in the state. The new variant displays moderate
resistance to brown spot, blast, brown plant hopper (BPH) and white backed plant hopper
(WBPH). 

This long duration variety is suitable for samba season for the long duration rice cultivating
tracts of Tamil Nadu which are prone to floods and drought. The variety possesses short bold
rice with high milling percentage and head rice recovery. The rice contains high amylose with
intermediate gelatinisation temperature and soft gel consistency which is suitable for making
idlis, the professor said.

In one such location, around four farmers from Needamangalam in Tiruvarur cultivated the
improved version of CR 1009 sub 1 variety in around 50 acres of land on a trial basis and the
results were remarkable. “I cultivated the 1009 sub 1 variety in 10 acres of land. The 155-day
period paddy had given me 40 gunny bags of rice (each bag contains 60 kg) per acre and the
input cost for the paddy was Rs 18,000 per acre which is also less compared to the traditional
variety,” S Govindasamy, a farmer from Mannargudi told DTNext.

Salient features

 Long duration cultivation (155 days) 

 High yielding semi dwarf rice variety with tolerance to submergence 
 Mean grain yield:  5,759 Kg/ha 
 15 locations out of 54 recorded more than 6,000 kg/ha in Adaptive Research Trials 
 Moderately resistant to brown spot, blast, BPH and  WBPH
 Short bold rice with high milling percentage and head rice recovery 
 High amylose content, intermediate gelatinisation temperature and soft gel consistency and
suitable for making idlis 
 Suitable for samba season and long duration rice cultivating tracts of Tamil Nadu 
 Specifically suited to flood and drought prone areas of Tamil Nadu

High-yield rice in India : A look at the role high-yield rice played in shaping the agrarian
scenario in India

 IR8 was the first high-yield variant of rice that was introduced in India in 1966 
 The IR8 was developed by the International Rice Research Institute 
 The IR8 yields 10 tonnes of rice under optimal conditions, which was five times the yield of
traditional rice 
 The IR8 sparked the beginning of the Green Revolution in India 
 IR8 was a success throughout Asia and was dubbed the Miracle Rice for keeping famine at
bay 

 SCIENTISTS AT the Tamil Nadu Rice Research Institute (TNRRI), Aduthurai, have
developed a long- duration, high-yielding rice variety suitable for growing in `samba'
season (August 15 to September 15 sowing). The new rice variety has been released for
commercial cultivation by the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) recently.

 Christened ``ADT-44'', the improved rice variety has a duration of about 145 days, and it
has a record grain yield of 6.2 tonnes per hectare. Endowed with good tillering, the total
biomass of the variety was put at 14.3 tonnes per hectare (6.0 tonnes, grains and 8.3
tonnes, straw), and it has a potential to go upto 15.8 tonnes per hectare, according to the
scientists, who bred this variety.

 It has been found to be resistant to green leafhopper and blast, and has shown field
resistance to stem borer and brown spot disease. It is also tolerant to the attack of leaf
folder. It produces white, short and bold rice with high head recovery of 61.5 per cent.
When cooked the rice gets well separated, and it is moderately soft with desirable taste. It
has very good linear elongation of 1.68 times.

 ADT 44 is a selection from OR 1128-7-S1 (IET 14099-IR 56/OR 142- 99). It is a

medium-tall (112.7 cm) variety with a maturity duration of 145 to 150 days, and average
duration of 148 days. The variety has been found to have high nitrogen use efficiency. It
has a tendency to lodge at maturity, and it has low shattering. It is ideal for irrigated (wet)
condition as a transplanted crop in ``samba'' season throughout Tamil Nadu.

 It performed well in all the trials conducted, and it has been recommended as an
alternative to CR 1009 for ``samba'' season. Farmers have taken to growing this variety
on seeing its good performance, and it has spread among more than 320 farmers in
Thanjavur, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Cuddalore and Trichirapalli districts. A total
 quantity of 4802 kg seeds have been distributed to the farmers already, according to the
scientists.

 A seed rate of 30 kg per hectare is the recommended seed rate, and the nursery of 20
cents will be enough to cover a hectare. The seedlings are ready for planting on the 25th
day of sowing, and a spacing of 20 cm by 15 cm should be adopted to keep a plant
density of 33 hills per square metre. The nutrients should be applied based on soil testing
results. Liberal quantities of farmyard manure and other organic amendments should be
applied.

 The application of biofertilisers such as azospirillum and phosphobacterium would prove

beneficial. One kg of azospirillum should be used for treating the seeds, and another two
kg may be applied to the nursery. The main field should be treated with two kg
azospirillum per hectare. The entire quantities of 60 kg phosphorus and 30 kg each of
nitrogen and potash should be applied as basal dressing.

 The remaining nitrogen is applied as top dressing on four equal splits of 30 kg each on
25th day, 50th day, 75th day and 100 days after planting. A remaining 30 kg potash
should be applied on the 75th day of planting. Zinc sulphate at 25 kg per hectare should
be applied at the time of planting, and blue green algae at 10 kg per hectare may be
inoculated on the 10th day of planting to get good results, according to the scientists.

 The new variety has recorded a high yield of 6.2 tonnes rice per hectare.

adurai: M Sankaranarayanan, a farmer from

Tirunelveli who raised a record 19,000 kilograms
of paddy from one hectare, was among the
special awardees at the Republic Day function in
Chennai on Thursday. He received the
agricultural department's award for the high yield
during 2015-2016 from chief minister O
Paneerselvam.

A diploma holder in textile technology,

Sankaranarayanan, 49, of Puliyankudi decided
to take up agriculture as it was his family
tradition for 20 years. Two years ago, he decided
to enter the competition conducted by the
department of agriculture under the System of
Rice Intensification (SRI) and registered for the
same. He decided to adopt the technology on
one hectare of his field by following the
guidelines of the department. He chose the high
yielding rice variety of CR-1009 to conduct his
experiment and received inputs on organic and
inorganic manure as also pesticides. The 150-
day cropping yielded 19,750 kg of paddy against
the normal yield per hectare of 12,000 kg.

As part of the work, a nursery had to be created

using 8 kilograms of paddy seeds for cultivating
on one hectare, and after fourteen days the best
saplings were selected and planted on tiny plots
of 2 cm x 2 cm. Last year, however, failed
monsoons and drought conditions did not
encourage farmers to go for this system, which
Sankaranaryanan also did not undertake.
Puliyankudi is an agricultural village in Tirunelveli
where about 3,000 acres is under paddy
cultivation. However, in 2016, less than 700
acres was cultivated and Sankaranayaran is
doubtful if they will get even 50 per cent of the
expected harvest. Farmers in the region are
using well and tank irrigation to save their crops
this season. Sankaranarayanan says that
agriculture has also been suffering due to lack of
farm hands as most of them are working under
the government's 100-day employment scheme.
The SRI system requires plenty of water and the
failed monsoons have dashed the hopes of
these farmers of having even a minimal yield.

In Kanyakumari district, particularly in Kalkulam and

Vilavancode Taluks, rice is cultivated under waterlogged
conditions in 7,000 ha. Local long-duration varieties
Thattaravellai, Vallarakkam, Valsiromundan, and Saradi are low
yielders, tall and thin stemmed, and prone to lodging. CO42,
Ponni, IET5656, and CR1009 were tested in nine locations in
farmers' fields. CR1009 (Pankaj/Jagannath) recorded
significantly higher mean grain yield, with a maximum of 8.1
t/ha. It is 94 cm high, matures in 150 d, and has short bold white
grains.

Rice procurement estimated 330 lakh tonnes during 2016-17 for Kharif Crop 

           
In a meeting of State Food Secretaries held here today, procurement
target for paddy in terms of rice for Kharif Crop  during Kharif Marketing
Season (KMS) 2016-17 has been finalised as 330 lakh tonnes against target
of 300 lakh tonnes of last year i.e. KMS 2015-16. In KMS 2015-16 actual
procurement of rice (Kharif crop) was 309.28 LMT.

The meeting chaired by the Union Food Secretary, Ms Vrinda Sarup

reviewed arrangements for procurement of paddy in producing States,
particularly in decentralised procurement States and other non-traditional
States to maximize procurement of paddy/ rice during KMS 2016-17.

States have been asked to identify immediately areas with maximum

paddy production and to open adequate purchase centers and deploy
sufficient manpower. They have also been advised to make arrangements
for publicizing MSP fixed, procurement centers opened through print and
audio-visual media as well as through pamphlets in local languages.

State Governments have also been asked to prepare details of storage

plan for the ensuing KMS and have an action plan to meet the deficit in
storage requirements, if required. Regarding Packaging material, Food
 Secretaries are requested to place indents for purchase of jute bags in time
to avoid last minute shortage of packaging material.

All State Governments have been requested to adopt the system of e-

procurement and integrated it with Online Procurement Monitoring System
(OPMS) of FCI.  The FCI has been directed to constitute joint teams with
the State Governments to oversee the conduct of procurement operations
and to attend specific complaints, problems etc. Further, they were
requested to ensure to follow up of prescribed quality checks of
procurement of paddy.

States have also been requested to adopt DCP mode for procurement
of paddy and wheat which states have not adopted this till date. Whenever
any support and guidance needed by the States, FCI will provide their
support. 

State wise targets for procurement of paddy (in terms of rice) for KMS
2016-17 for Kharif season is as follows:
Sl. No. State Target of Procurement for Kharif
Crop only (In Lakh MT)
1 Andhra Pradesh 29.00
2 Assam 0.75
3 Bihar 20.00
4 Chhattisgarh 35.00
5 Haryana 29.00
6 Jharkhand 2.72
7 Karnataka 0.50
8 Kerala 1.22
9 Madhya Pradesh 9.00
10 Maharashtra 2.50
11 Odisha 24.00
12 Punjab 94.50
13 Tamil Nadu 10.00
14 Telangana 15.00
15 Uttar Pradesh 33.50
16 Uttarakhand 6.00
 17 West Bengal 17.00
18 Others 0.31    
Total   330.00
 

*****

NCJ/NN

TAMIL NADU

Paddy sowing down by 39% in Tamil

Nadu due to poor northeast monsoon
PTI
NEW DELHI,JANUARY 08, 2017 16:49 IST

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In this November 26, 2016 photo, a farmer shows his dry paddy field at Kasavalanadu Thekkur near Thanjavur.  

Acreage of pulses, coarse cereals and oilseeds too declines.

Area under paddy cultivation in Tamil Nadu fell by over 39 per cent to 7.18
lakh hectare so far in the 2016-17 rabi season due to the poor northeast
monsoon.
Sowing of paddy and other rabi crops begins during October and November
and harvest starts from April.

As per the latest data released by the Union Agriculture Ministry, paddy was
sown in 7.18 lakh hectare till the last week of the current rabi season, down
by 39 per cent from 11.82 lakh hectare in the year ago period.

“Rice coverage has been lower in Tamil Nadu and other southern States
because of deficient rains from northeast monsoon,” Indian Council of
Agricultural Research (ICAR) deputy director-general J.S. Sandhu told PTI.
 Rainfall was lower by 39 per cent than normal and this has affected sowing
activity largely in Tamil Nadu, he added.
ALSO READ

Tamil Nadu farmers' woes

A farmer shows dried paddy crop at Iyampillai village near Palani in Dindigul district on Thursday.  

Sowing of paddy in adjoining States, especially Karnataka and Andhra

Pradesh, too has been affected but not to the extent of Tamil Nadu, Mr.
Sandhu said.
 Apart from rice, pulses acreage has also declined to 3.48 lakh hectare till last
week of the ongoing rabi season, as against 3.94 lakh hectare in the year ago
period.

Even coarse cereals coverage was lower at 3.55 lakh hectare from 4.23 lakh
hectare, while oilseeds acreage was down at 38,000 hectare from 89,000
hectare in the said period.

Total rabi crops were covered an area of 15.08 lakh hectare till last week of
this rabi season, which is down by 30 per cent from 21.42 lakh hectare in the
year ago period.

INDIA – DROUGHT-
RESISTANT RICE VARIETY
RELEASED
Source: The New Indian Express
24/07/2016 – Offering support to the thousands of
farmers in drought-prone Telangana, the Indian
Institute of Rice Research (IIIR) on Saturday
announced the development of a new high zinc variety
of rice, which requires less water and reduces input
costs. Developed through conventional methods, the
new variety has been christened ‘DRR-Dhan 45’ and is
the first-of-its-kind to be notified on a national level.
 
The rice variety is moderately resistant to major pests
and diseases such as blast, sheath rot and rice tungro
viruses. DRR-Dhan 45 is a semi dwarf, long slender
variety that has a crop duration of 125 days. According
to scientists, the rice variety is ideal for growing in
water-starved states like Telangana, Andhra Pradesh,
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
 
The net crop area in Telangana had shrunk drastically
during the last two years due to severe drought. Paddy
is considered the most water-intensive crop. As water
resources dried up, farmers in the state suffered huge
loss due to withering of crops. The use of a short
duration paddy variety that is less water intensive will
be a big relief for farmers in the state.
 
“It took us 12 years to develop this variety which can
give a yield of six tonnes of rice per hectare,” said Dr
Ravindra Babu, director of ICAR-IIRR. The variety is
proof of the concept of biofortification and will aid in
India’s struggle to ensure nutritional security, he
claimed.
 
The new variety has high volume content of protein and
a zinc content of 25 ppm that will help combat zinc
deficiency in pregnant women. “High zinc is required for
the development of the child in mother’s womb to build
resistance to diarrhoea,” said Ravindra.
 
The institution has also developed and released a rice
variety named ‘Sampada’ for  type-2 diabetic patients.
The rice variety has a low glycemic index which means
the rice digests slowly helping the patients manage the
insulin produced in their body, said Ravindra.
 
IIRR plans to sell the DRR-Dhan 45 seeds to farmers at
the rate of `40 per kg and is on the look out for seed
companies to pick up the rice variety, he added.

It yields 10 % more grain than ADT-43

Even as farmers’ organisations have urged
the State government to take steps to get
Tamil Nadu’s due share of water in the
Cauvery from Karnataka, the Agriculture
Department has planned to popularise Co-51,
a short duration paddy variety in the district
during the forthcoming kuruvai season.
The new variety of 110 days yields 10 per
cent more grain than ADT-43. Average yield
potential of Co-51 is 2650 kg an acre.
This variety was released by Directorate of
Plant Breeding and Genetics of the Tamil
Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore,
during 2013, sources in the Agriculture
Department said.
CO-51, being a fine grain variety, offers the
advantage of being a non-lodging variety, a
characteristic which is very much required for
kuruvai. It has the preferred plant characters
such as broad dark green leaves which leads
to higher photosynthesis, medium height (90-
100 cm), broader leafs (2 cm width) and
lengthy panicle. Each panicle bears on an
average 250-300 grains, with a panicle length
of 23 to 28 cm.
The variety has better resistance to green leaf
hopper, brown plant hopper and paddy blast
disease.
Co.51 variety with white medium slender rice
is good for cooking and has high a milling
percentage of 69 per cent and head rice
recovery of 63 per cent.
The Department of Agriculture has stocked
about 34 tonnes of CO.51 certified seeds in
the agricultural extension centres in the
Kuruvai growing blocks of the district
including Lalgudi, Andhanallur,
Manikandam, Musiri and Mannachanallur,
the sources said.
Meanwhile, P.Viswanathan, president of the
Tamizhaga Eri Mattrum Attru Pasana
Vivasayigal Sangam, has urged the new
government to initiate talks with the
Karnataka and Central governments to get
Tamil Nadu’s share of water in the Cauvery
so that farmers could take up kuruvai
cultivation this year. Over the past five years,
Tamil Nadu was not able to get adequate
water for kuruvai in the Cauvery affecting
kuruvai cultivation in about 16 lakhs acres in
the state, he said.
FARM DISTRESS

In Tamil Nadu, farmers have lost an entire crop season to the Cauvery
row
The squabble with Karnataka over river water has heightened agricultural distress, leaving many
with significant debt.
Sruthisagar Yamunan

Oct 21, 2016 · 09:00 am

Sruthisagar Yamunan

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The three acres that Jayamohan owns in Orathanadu
in Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu has not seen a
harvest since January.
Encouraged by a bountiful north-east monsoon last
November, Jayamohan anticipated a normal south-
west monsoon in the middle of this year. He prepared
his land in May for the kuruvai summer crop season
(which is known as the kharif in other parts of the
country) and made a vow to tonsure his head at the
Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam if he was
blessed with a good harvest.
Since his land abuts a canal fed by the Cauvery river
and has a comfortable slope, he was hopeful that even
a small amount of water released from the Mettur
dam – the river's entry point in Tamil Nadu – would
be enough to save his crop if the monsoon was scanty.
But his optimism has faded. "I raised the nursery and
ploughed the land, but I could not find a drop of water
in June to feed the crops," he said. Along with the
crop, his investments have also wilted away.
"They say the farmer feeds the nation," he said,
pointing to his cracked field. "Now we don't have
anything to feed ourselves. We depend on ration
rice."
In the Cauvery Delta zone, which encompasses 14.7
lakh hectares of farmland across seven central
districts of Tamil Nadu, fields have remained mostly
uncultivated this summer. Citing a poor monsoon,
Karnataka refused to release Tamil Nadu's share of
water from the Cauvery.
Even though the Supreme Court on October 1
directed Karnataka to release the water, this may not
help much. Tamil Nadu requires 163 thousand million
cubic feet of water till May 2017 for its farming and
drinking water needs, but is expected to get only
143.18 tmc ft – that too assuming the north-east
monsoon is robust. The crisis has increased the debt
burden on farmers and led to distress selling of cattle
and land.
Rice bowl in grief
The Cauvery Delta Zone in Tamil Nadu, historically
referred to as the Chola Mandalam as it was ruled by
the Chola empire, is considered one of the most fertile
agricultural areas in the country.
The delta zone, which forms a triangle in the central
part of the state, is divided into three areas: the east,
west and lower delta. The lower delta, which occupies
the southern region, developed after the king Karikala
Chola constructed the Grand Anicut (Kal-Anai), a
water regulator, in the second century. This structure,
located in Tiruchy district, is still in use.
Sixty-year-old Ramakrishnan of Parithikotai in
Thanjavur reminisced about the time agriculture was
carried out comfortably for at least eight months a
year. “Decades earlier, if a house had a grand
wedding, they would assume it was the house of a
farmer,” he said.
Ramakrishnan no longer has the resources to continue
farming and has leased out his land. His family of
four survives on the lease amount and the share of
grain the agreement brings once a year.
Since 2010, the situation of farmers in the delta has
become precarious. K Kamaraj, secretary of the Tamil
Nadu Farmers' Association in Thanjavur, said that at
least 80% of land in the district had forgone the
kuruvai crop in the last five years.
This was echoed in a report by the Supreme Court-
appointed technical committee that toured the delta
last week. It said the kuruvai was a lost cause in
Tamil Nadu and farmers were entirely dependent on
the October-January samba season. Thus, two seasons
of income in a year has now been reduced to one.
“Slowly, debts are building up,” Kamaraj said.
Along with debt, farmer suicides are also on the rise.
The National Crime Records Bureau’s statistics for
2014 show that 68 farmers committed suicide in the
state. But Kamaraj said the number was much higher.
"When a farmer commits suicide, the police mostly
claim it was not due to farming distress,” he said,
adding that they attribute the deaths to bizarre reasons
such as stomach aches and headaches and close the
cases. “This means families fail to get compensation
and end up with the debt burden.”
Loss of income
Adding to the debts, cultivation costs have gone up.
Pandithurai, a farmer in Kunniyur in Tiruvarur
district, said the cost of paddy cultivation, on average,
has touched Rs 20,000 per acre. In a good year and
with timely availability of water, a farmer can expect
an average yield of 30 to 35 bags of paddy per acre,
each bag containing 60 kg. "If you consider the costs,
a good year will fetch us Rs 7,000-Rs 10,000 profit
per acre," he said. The minimum support price for a
quintal (100 kg) of paddy is currently Rs 1,470.
For example, a farmer with two acres of land would
end up with a kuruvai season profit of about Rs
20,000. Add the samba crop that has been cultivated
consistently with the help of the north-east monsoon
and his annual income would be around Rs 50,000.
"It is with this little money that we take care of the
family and prepare for the next cropping season,” said
Asalambal of Papanadu in Thanjavur, pictured above.
The 68-year-old farmer added that one of her two
sons had moved to Telangana this year to work at a
construction site.
According to the state agriculture department, 92% of
all agricultural land holdings in Tamil Nadu are
categorised as small and medium. They measure less
than five acres each.
Despite claims of mechanisation in agriculture, the
Tamil Nadu government’s Economic Appraisal in
2014 showed that paddy yield is at least 2.08 tonnes
lower than the potential yield per hectare in most
parts of the state. Officials said small land holdings
and low incomes are the main reasons for the low
yield, since new scientific techniques are tough to
implement.
The crisis of the last five years has also affected
landless farm hands, who constitute 40% of the
population in the Cauvery delta, according to
government data. With an entire farming season
wiped out, these workers are forced to bank on the
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment
Guarantee Scheme, which pays them less than what
they would get working the fields. A labourer makes
Rs 203 a day under the government’s job scheme,
whereas crop planting would fetch him Rs 600 and
harvesting Rs 500 per acre – along with tea and
biscuits twice a day.
Some misconceptions
When the Cauvery water dispute reached the Supreme
Court this year, one of the arguments made by
Karnataka to deny water to Tamil Nadu was the
availability of groundwater on the other side. Its
lawyers contended that Tamil Nadu could compensate
the loss of Cauvery water with groundwater, which
was apparently available in plenty.
But this argument completely missed some realities.
Since a majority of land holdings are small, not many
farmers in the Cauvery delta have borewell sets. The
landscape, with crisscrossing water channels and
lakes, makes it difficult for electricity connections to
reach all the fields.
 Francis, a farmer, said
not all in the Cauvery delta region could afford a
borewell to use groundwater.

"Most small farmers borrow water from those who

have pump sets," said M Francis of Maraneri in
Boodalur. This arrangement comes at a heavy price
for the small farmer.
Either they pay Rs 100 for every hour of use or, in
case the entire cultivation is dependent on the
borewell, its owner insists on six bags of paddy per
acre from the produce. ”This is uneconomical for us,"
said Francis. "This is why many would rather not
cultivate.”
Besides, the power supply is erratic. While thousands
of farmers get free electricity, the duration of supply
determines whether the owner of a pump set can share
it with those who do not have one. "If the power
supply in a day is only for a few hours, no farmer will
share it," Francis said.
Even with the government offering subsidies, most
small farmers cannot afford borewells. Installing one
costs around Rs 1 lakh. The annual income of these
farmers is half that amount. "Even if we take loans
and install one, there is no guarantee we will get good
water as salinity is a big problem," Francis pointed
out. The cost of a borewell goes up with its depth.
Location, too, is an important factor. Take the case of
the coastal district of Nagapattinam, at the eastern end
of the Cauvery delta. Even when it gets water from
Karnataka, there is no guarantee the water will reach
this district at the tail end of the delta and at the right
time.
The location of the individual landholding is also
crucial. While those on the banks of lakes and
channels benefit from even small releases of water
from the Mettur dam, lands further away and with an
elevation bear the brunt of drought.

Distress selling
All of these factors contribute to the debt burden on
farmers, who are left with no choice but to sell their
lands. As one drives through Thanjavur and Tiruvarur
districts, it is easy to spot real estate plots that were
once fields.
"Land along the highways is the most susceptible,"
said farm leader Kamaraj.
Real estate players have done their bit to take
advantage of the poor farmers. Aware that the
Kuruvai crop is bound to fail without Cauvery water
from Karnataka, brokers target farmers during this
season.
"In their desperation, farmers take loans from these
sharks," said Kamaraj. As the debt mounts, the farmer
is put under pressure to pay back the loan. At some
point, he is made an offer: he is asked to give up his
land and paid cash for it, minus the debt amount.
Many farmers succumb to these tactics despite
knowing that land use rules guard agricultural fields
and they cannot be sold easily. "The real estate people
will ensure there is no farming for a few seasons and
get the land category changed," Kamaraj claimed.
In recent months, farmers have also begun selling
cattle to take care of immediate expenses. In this
context, the government’s free cow and goat scheme
launched in 2011 has turned out to be a saviour.
"The free rice scheme and the free goat scheme are
keeping us alive," said Velayudham in Arasur in
Nagapattinam.

Praying for rain

Officials in the agriculture department fear a drop in
food production this year. Between 2011 and 2013,
when Tamil Nadu faced similar problems over
Cauvery water, production dropped 45% from 101.5
lakh tonnes per year to 56.06 lakh tonnes.
Despite the discouraging circumstances, farmers in
the Cauvery delta are fighting to cultivate their samba
crops. Most of them have skipped the process of
raising a nursery and have directly sown seeds in the
fields so the crop can be cut in time. The 3,000 cusecs
of water being released from Karnataka since October
10 following the Supreme Court's directives has made
them hopeful.
According to the report of the Supreme Court-
appointed technical committee, crops, in the initial
stages, would need at least 20 wettings till January to
survive.
Farmers have gone in for a mix of medium and long-
duration paddy varieties, which have a cultivation
period of between 120 and 180 days.
A good north-east monsoon is essential if the crops
are to have any chance of surviving.
However, the north-east monsoon has been anything
but consistent in the last few years. By its very nature,
it is erratic – spells of heavy rain for a few days with
long periods of lull in between. In 2014, 17 of the 32
districts in Tamil Nadu recorded deficient rainfall.
The season also brings with it the danger of cyclonic
storms, with the sea-facing eastern delta susceptible
to damage.
"It is depressing that despite sitting in a place where
the mighty Cauvery flows, we have become prisoners
of the rain," Velayudham said, as he returned to his
tractor to plough his field.
In the face of all this uncertainty, the farmers are
hoping at least the government will come to their
rescue by increasing the minimum support price for
paddy to at least Rs 1,800 a quintal.
Farmer’s
Notebook:
Adapting in
Drought for a
Good Yield
BY M.J. PRABU ON 27/04/2017 • LEAVE A COMMENT

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R. Baskaran has been studying
climatic variations and planning his
crops accordingly to achieve a good
yield, even under drought conditions.
 R. Baskaran. Credit: M.J. Prabhu
Drought management is the main concern in government agriculture departments, NGOs and
farmers groups in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. The three states are under severe drought
and farmers under distress with declining productivity. The delta region, often called the “rice
bowl of Tamil Nadu,” is trying to grapple with the situation. In the last ten years, drought has
become more common than floods, but has been managed with little success.
No scientific data, government steps or research has been able to help farmers overcome drought.
Only the example of Israel’s booming agriculture thanks to drip irrigation is cited. To an extent,
this has been working in Maharashtra, Karnataka and some other states. But for drip irrigation
there has to be water in wells or lakes. It will not work in places that have no water or are prone
to acute water scarcity like the Ramnad district in Tamil Nadu.

Farmers need to understand the cycle and the relation between seasons and crops. If the season is
good with bountiful rain, farmers should select paddy; if the season is moderately hot and moist,
they should go with millet grains. If their crop is selected as per the expected climate, they will
have crops in their field for the whole year. They can cultivate using less water. This is the best
way farmers should do farming and face climate variations, says R. Baskaran, a leading organic
farmer  from Thenampadugai village, near Kumbakonam Tamil Nadu.

Baskaran is doing a lot of research in analysing the weather pattern regularly and its effects on
crops. His on-field research on climate change and its effect on agriculture also brought
significant practical solutions for farmers to adopt climate resilient approaches to farming, both
in the delta region and also in other parts of Tamil Nadu.

According to him, the amount of rainfall that the region received was very good about 20 years
ago, which helped to fill ponds and lakes for nearly ten months in a year.
“This has contributed to cultivation of two crops in a year. The rainy days were for three months
in a year. Now, the water is running only for a month in the Cauvery river and that too not for all
30 days. All the water resources have become dry and only those who have bore well and
electricity are involved in farming. The majority of the agriculture lands have become fallow,”
he says.

On his analysis of the rain fall pattern from 1991-95, Baskaran says there were regular seasonal
rains and that helped the farmers cultivate crops for two seasons in a year.

Baskaran with farmers. Credit: M.J. Prabhu

“In the year 2000, the rain fall has started to reduce gradually in to one cropping season in a year.
Then the period 2000-2004, the rainfall has reduced drastically and lead to the severe drought
situation. But in 2005, there was abundant rains which lead to flood situation. After that, the
change in rain fall pattern started  fluctuating. Sometimes excess and sometime insufficient rain
became a normal pattern until 2010. Then, the years 2012 and 2013 were very severe drought
years,” explains Baskaran.
According to his analysis, there was a drought period every five years in Tamil Nadu and then
one year with excess rain. Then it goes down again to severe drought and less than ten days rain
in a year.

Because of this unpredictable rainfall pattern and climatic variations, farmers cannot adopt a
particular strategy in farming. Even meteorological predictions are often not able to give correct
information. Hence, farmers have to cope with the rainfall pattern, using their own farming
experience and plan their strategies accordingly. While doing so, if that particular year is one
with a dry spell, the crops get affected by water shortage. If it rains in a particular year, the crops
get spoiled with flood water.

Baskaran says he evolved his own climate resilient approaches based on his experience in paddy
farming and his observation of changing weather patterns. He emphasises the need for farmers to
have a holistic outlook in paddy farming with a clear understanding on the characteristic features
of paddy plant.

While analysing the characteristic features of paddy, a philosophy of drying and wetting was
observed. Between 2011 and 2014, the availability of water gradually reduced and it gave a bad
yield in the drought years. In 2012, after October, this region received seven days of rain and
after that there was no rain at all throughout the year.

During that year, kharif was the major cropping period. After the introduction of hybrid seeds
but the intensification of the Cauvery water sharing issue, approaches have changed,
with transplantations taking place with the help of electricity based equipments. Farmers slowly
moved away from natural processes and changed their methods. Earlier, traditional farming
system was adopted with rotation and cyclic approach.

“We start with a short duration crop, then a long duration crop for kharif season, then cultivate
black gram and again with a short duration crop. Thus, the farmers classified the crop cycle in a
proper way.”

In 2012, when farmers experienced a severe drought situation, the meteorological department
gave a report. During that time, farmers were confused and didn’t know what to sow.

Baskaran decided to go with a direct sowing method and selected a local paddy variety
that comes to harvest in 140 days. After an initial rainfall period, he sowed the seeds on
September 30. That initial rain gave him sufficient moisture to plough the land and sow the
seeds. That moisture also helped the seeds germinate.

Then there was only one spate of rain in October. Using that second rain, the paddy crop was
able to grow to certain extent. Then he got water from the river for ten days in October,
November and December. In January, the paddy crop was ripe for harvesting. Naturally, the
philosophy of drying and wetting worked out very well.

Thus, a 140-day duration crop came up very well with ten days of wetting and 20 days of drying,
and this changing over helped the crop grow well and gave him a good yield in January. Though
it was cultivated with the direct sowing method, the tillers were very strong and upright with
mature full grains and less chaff.  He was thus able to prove wrong the perception that paddy is a
water guzzling crop that needs more water.

Last year was not favourable for paddy cultivation. In June, he tried another two traditional rice
varieties (Karunkurvai and Sornamazuri) through direct sowing with the anticipation of some
rain in the following months. But there was no rain. The seed germinated using the available
moisture at the time of sowing.

“There was good germination of Sornamazuri but dried up later on as there was no rain. But in
the case of Karunkuruvai , germination survival was better. This single crop shows this variety is
suitable for rabi season with some irrigation sources.  In the second season, that is, September
and October there was some water in the river beyond that the Mettur dam could not support,” he
says.

Anticipating monsoon rain farmers went for either direct sowing of paddy and transplantation
method. But there was no rain as well till mid December. It was declared that monsoon had
withdrawn by the middle of November. So paddy could not survive as both rain and the river
failed.

Only a few farmers with the help of deep bore wella could cultivate. The rest of the farmers had
a heavy losses, or no income for the year. Under such situation, he decided to go for plants which
require less water and can perform well in the months of December and January with the help of
atmospheric moisture and not irrigation. He selected black gram, green gram and gingelly and
was able to harvest a good yield.
The crops came up very well without irrigation with little application of growth promoting inputs
and pest control efforts. All the crops were harvested in March 25, 2017.

Unfortunately, Baskaran’s neighbours failed to understand the weather pattern, as a consequence

of which their conditions have grown from bad to worse. Some have suffered heavily with the
complete crop loss.

“Farmers should have a clarity on which variety is suitable for which season. Traditional
varieties are always performing well and  helpful to mitigate different climatic stress conditions.
That is why they are location specific. We have traditional varieties for low lying areas, rain
shadow regions like Ramanathapuram, varieties suitable for uplands, varieties for sandy soil,
varieties for coastal areas and saline areas. Likewise, for every climate conditions there are
numerous traditional varieties available. Each paddy variety has its own character in it. If farmers
are able to identify which traditional variety is suitable for water stress conditions and planting
them with direct sowing method, they could achieve more in paddy farming,” explains Baskaran.

Another thing that the farmers need to understand is that they should not go two or three seasons
with the same crop. They should not go three seasons only on paddy cultivation. The kharif crop
is heavily dependent on rain, so during that season they should go with paddy. After this, in the
month of January the surface of the land becomes dry due to mist. However just beneath the
surface, there will be moisture.  That is optimum for planting pulses. In the summer months, the
surface of the soil will be very dry and at that time they can sow millet grains like Ragi, Bajra
and by the end of June these grains come to the harvesting stage. Baskaran is part of the Save
Our Rice Campaign, an initiative of an NGO called CREATE, Thiruthuraipoondi.

For more details, interested farmers can contact R. Baskaran, Teynampadugai via Patteswaram,
Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu: 612703, mobile: 94428-71049.

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for our journalism.
he Tamil Nadu government declared a drought on January 10,
2017, after 144 farmers ended their lives (according to media
reports here and here) between October and December, 2016. As
many as 106 farmers were reported to have committed suicide in
one month, according to this notice issued by the National Human
Rights Commission to the state government on January 5, 2017.
 
The retreating northeast monsoon—usually unnoticed in India
owing to the singular importance of the larger southwest monsoon
—in 2016 was the worst ever over the last 140 years, according to
Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) records, since 1876.
 
“It is an unprecedented situation,” S. Panneerselvam, Professor
and Head, Agro Climate Research Centre, Tamil Nadu
Agriculture University, Coimbatore, told IndiaSpend. “It has
severely affected 21 of 32 districts of Tamil Nadu.”  
 
“Tamil Nadu celebrates Pongal on January the 16th,” said
Panneerselvam. “It is when the harvest begins, but the yield this
time is going to be the worst the state will see.”
 
On January 5, 2017, reservoirs in Tamil Nadu were at less than
20% of their capacity, cited as the worst ever for the state.
 
Record-keeping began in 1871, but a worse northeast monsoon,
which sweeps across Tamil Nadu, coastal Andhra Pradesh, south
interior Karnataka and Kerala, between October and December,
was recorded in 1876, making 2016 the year of the second-worst
monsoon in 145 years.
 
Overall, the northeast monsoon was 45% short of the average for
this period, the state worst hit being Tamil Nadu, where rainfall
for the season was 62% short of normal. Although the southwest
monsoon–which waters the subcontinent between June and
September–was classified as normal across India (3% below
average), it was 19% deficient in Tamil Nadu.
 
Hit by shortages from both monsoons, Tamil Nadu, where the
winter crop depends more on the northeast monsoon than in any
other Indian state, reported a 33% drop in the winter sowing of
rice, according to latest crop sowing situation report, updated
weekly by the agriculture ministry.
 
More than 60% deficit in October-December rains in four
states
 
The northeast monsoon becomes active after the southwest
monsoon retreats from the subcontinent. While there is no specific
date for the retreat of southwest and the onset of northeast
monsoon, October is regarded as the starting period of the lesser
monsoon.
 
 Source: Monthly rainfall dataset, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology
 
Apart from the two monsoons, Tamil Nadu also receives pre-
monsoon rains, all important for agriculture.
 
Source: Weekly Weather Update, India Meteorological Department
 
Nagapattinam, Thiruvarur and Thanjavur were the worst hit
districts in Tamil Nadu.
 
“There are 135,000 paddy farmers among the 175,000 lakh
farmers in our district, Nagapattinam, which falls in the Cauvery
delta. Half the farmers have sown the paddy crop, but less than
20% of the crop has crossed the flowering stage,” said J. Sekar,
joint director of the agriculture department in the eastern coastal
district of Nagapattinam. “Even this mature crop will yield
nothing.”
 
“Under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (prime minister’s
crop insurance scheme), about 130,000 (95%) paddy farmers in
the district are insured,” said Sekhar. His claim could not be
independently verified. “A premium of about Rs 11 crore has been
collected. This will provide a safety net to our farmers.”
 
The failure of the northeast monsoon was evident across the South
except Telangana, where farming is mostly rain-fed and dependent
on the southwest monsoon.
 
Reservoirs in–or nearing crisis–across the South
 
With the northeast monsoon failing and the southwest sketchy,
reservoirs in the southern states are in crisis–or nearing one.
 
Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Kerala
now report the highest deficits nationwide. Tamil Nadu reservoirs
are 82% short of normal levels—the highest deficit in India
currently—while those in Andhra Pradesh are 53% short,
Karnataka 39% and Kerala 37%.
 
Source: Central Water Commission
 
Karnataka declared a drought in 22 districts and some
additional talukas in October 2016; the state has received Rs
1,782 crore from the central government. All of Kerala has
been declared drought hit.
 
As 2016 ended, South India’s combined reservoir levels were 34%
of capacity, which is 22 percentage points less than 56%, the
average water availability over the last 10 years.
 
In Tamil Nadu, a third of fields not sown
 
Tamil Nadu had targeted 14.5 lakh hectares under rice in 2016-17,
according to the weekly sowing situation report dated January 6,
2017, of the agriculture ministry, more than any other state. But
no more than 7.18 lakh hectares had been sown until January 5,
2017, which is 3.5 lakh hectares—or 33%–less than the five-year
sowing average of 10.68 lakh hectares.
 
Compared to the first-week-of-January average of 17.28 lakh
hectares of sowing, rice has been planted on 12.74 lakh hectares
across India, leaving a deficit of 4.54 lakh hectares, or 26%.
 
“Less area coverage has been reported from the states of Tamil
Nadu (3.50 lakh hectare), Andhra Pradesh (0.31 lakh hectare),
Karnataka (0.15 lakh hectare), Telangana (0.13 lakh hectare),
Assam (0.12 lakh hectare), Odisha (0.09 lakh hectare) and Kerala
(0.09 lakh hectare),” said the government’s sowing report.
Sankaralingam remembers the time when he kept
busy round the year raising one crop after another on
his five-acre field in Thirupazhanam, a small village
in Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu.
He said those were the days when he and his family
donated several bags of their paddy harvest to the
Apathsahayar temple in the village every season. This
donation was a matter of great pride for his family.
“The festival there happens in January,” said 72-year-
old Sankaralingam. “In the older times, we use to
send a part of our harvest as our offering.”
This offering took place twice a year – once after the
Kuruvai summer crop, which farmers in this region
harvest in late July, and a second time in January, just
before the harvest festival of Pongal.
Apathsahayar, the deity’s name, means “one who
comes to your help in times of danger”. This year,
Sankaralingam said that he felt his prayers to the deity
to save him from the danger that agriculture is
currently facing in the region were yet to be
answered. However, unwilling to discontinue a
custom, he has donated a bag of paddy to the temple
this season too – only this bag was bought from the
market.
For the last six years, this region of the Cauvery delta
in Tamil Nadu, known as the rice bowl of South
India, has been devastated by water scarcity during
the summer months. Its famed three-crop cycle was
first reduced to two about a decade ago. Today, with
hundreds of lakes and ponds going bone dry, farmers
consider themselves lucky if they manage to harvest a
single paddy crop. The distress has been exacerbated
by the fact that Tamil Nadu is in the midst of its worst
drought in 140 years.
This situation has forced farmers to blame Tamil
Nadu politicians for failing to proactively take up
their cause and ensure that the state gets its rightful
portion of Cauvery river water, which the state shares
with Karnataka.
The tussle in the ruling All India Anna Dravida
Munnetra Kazhagam regime following the death of
party leader J Jayalalithaa in December has sent its
credibility plummeting.
Crop failure
Agriculture production statistics in Tamil Nadu paint
a telling picture. According to a senior agriculture
official, paddy production dropped by more than 50%
between 2015-’16 and 2016-’17. The official said the
third estimate for 2016-’17 pegged paddy production
at around 65 lakh tonnes, down from about 120 lakh
tonnes the previous year.
This correlates with the crop coverage data, which fell
from 12.7 lakh hectares in 2015-’16 to 7.4 lakh
hectares in 2016-’17, a 41.5% decrease according to
Union government statistics.
“The severe drought made it impossible for farmers to
take up farming,” the official added.
Officials said there has been a significant drop in the
production of other major crops as well, though data
for these crops is yet to be put together at the state
level. Other major crops in Tamil Nadu include
maize, black gram, groundnut, sugarcane and cotton.
Crop coverage data for a week, released by the Union
Agriculture Ministry on June 23, pegs the total land
under paddy cultivation in Tamil Nadu at 0.697 lakh
hectares, marginally higher than the five-year average
of 0.55 lakh hectares for the corresponding week. The
State Directorate of Agriculture has set a target of
4.85 lakh hectares coverage for the Kuruvai crop.
However, officials who spoke to Scroll.in said that
achieving this target would primarily depend on
copious amounts of rain falling in the coming weeks.
One official in Thanjavur said that farmers in the
region reported sowing by the third week of May in
the hope of getting water for their crops from the
Mettur dam, the entry point of the Cauvery river in
Tamil Nadu.
“If the Mettur dam is not opened by June 12, which is
the case this year, farmers stop sowing,” he said.
Since the Mettur dam has not been opened on June 12
for six years now, only farmers who have borewells
sow in May. “Others wait and watch and many give
up on Kuruvai all together,” the official added.
Farming woes
In large parts of Thanjavur and Tiruvarur, the
statistics reflect the ground situation. Farmer who do
not own a borewell have, in most cases, skipped the
summer crop.
Sekar, a farmer in Mannargudi, in Tiruvarur district,
said if the situation improved in the coming weeks,
farmers would opt for direct sowing rather than
raising a nursery [for paddy]. But this comes at the
cost of lower yields.
Groundwater salinity has become a major factor in
the region. While this problem was more prevalent at
the tail end of the Cauvery delta in Nagapattinam,
salinity is increasingly a concern even in core delta
areas of Tiruvarur as farmers, due to the lack of river
water, are putting immense pressure on groundwater.
Sekar said that last year he took the help of his
neighbour, who owns a borewell, to irrigate his
groundnut crop during Kuruvai. But this time, the
neighbour flatly refused to share water since he feared
that the groundwater might run out.
“He proposed deepening the borewell to 300 feet
from the current 100 feet and sharing the cost,” said
Sekar. “But I was in no position to pay.” He added
that the cost of doing this would have touched Rs 2
lakh.
Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam together
cultivate over 5.2 lakh hectares.
There are also those who have dug borewells but are
waiting for electricity connections for over five years.
Saravanan, a farmer in Kandakerayam near
Mannargudi, said there was a waiting list for free
electricity connections. “For five years, the officials
have been telling me I will get a connection soon,” he
claimed “Nothing has moved.”
In the 1990s, the government issued a moratorium on
electricity connections to farmers to check rampant
pilferage. The farmer said this was later lifted, but by
then there was a huge backlog of applications. By
May 2015, there were over three lakh applications for
agriculture service electricity connections pending
before the state electricity board, which processes
about 35,000 to 40,000 such applications a year.
Agriculture officials feel that if three lakh more
borewells are added, the strain on groundwater will
increase manifold.
The situation has forced some to advocate taking the
Kuruvai out of the farming calendar. S Ranganathan
of the Cauvery Delta Farmers’ Welfare Association
said that the government should encourage farmers to
conserve water for the Samba season in December-
January, the main cultivation season for Tamil Nadu,
which receives 60% of its rainfall from the October-
December North East monsoon.
However, the state government is not convinced.
Recently, it released a special assistance package of
Rs 68 crore to help farmers plant the Kuruvai crop
and has gone all out to encourage farmers to sow this
season.
Weak leadership
While they welcomed such assistance from the state
government, farmers claimed that their trust in the
political establishment has eroded significantly as
very little has been done by the government to claim
Tamil Nadu’s share of the Cauvery waters.
Sami Natarajan, a farmers’ leader in Thanjavur, said
that in the past, those heading the Tamil Nadu
government usually started raising their voices for
Cauvery water at the beginning of May. “This year,
we have not seen any visible effort from the
AIADMK leadership to fight for water [with
Karnataka],” he alleged. “It is as though the
government does not exist.”
Farmers primarily blame the internal politics of the
AIADMK – which has been split into three groups
after the death of Jayalalithaa – for the current
situation. The perception on the ground is that since
the AIADMK has moved closer to the Bharatiya
Janata Party in the recent months, it was hesitant to
put pressure on the Centre to act against Karnataka.
This apart, farmers are also miffed about lakes and
ponds not being de-silted on time for the monsoon.
The Opposition too raised this problem in the
Assembly, with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
pressing its cadres to clear the water bodies even as it
accused the government of inaction.
“It is only now in the end of June that we see some
cleaning of the lakes happening,” Sekar alleged.
“Whatever rain we get is going to be wasted as the
lakes are unable to absorb it fully.”
This report is part of a series on why farmers are
protesting across India. Read the other stories:
A collapse in the prices of soyabean led to violent
protests by farmers in Madhya Pradesh.
Behind the farmer unrest in Haryana there is a
history of instability in crop prices.