A section of banana plantains which were uprooted by gale in Kundukulam near Kariyapatti.
Banana plantains on over 23 hectares across Virudhunagar district have been destroyed by rain and strong gale in the last two weeks.
The gale that was reported in the second week of May has damaged the well-grown plantains in various blocks like Watrap, Sivakasi, Tiruchuli, Kariyapatti, Srivilliputtur, Sattur and Virudhunagar.
Most of the damaged plantains are in advanced stage of harvest.
A farmer M. Pandiselvam of Kundukulam in Kariyapatti taluk said hundreds of banana trees raised on one acre of land were uprooted and trunk twisted by a strong gale. Most of the trees had bunches of under-ripe fruits. “In another few weeks, the fruits would have become ripe and ready for harvest,” he said.
The farmer who used to sell leaves and fruits has suffered more than 50% loss in his farm as the trees have fallen. “The gale was so strong that the trunks of taller trees were broken after they were twisted,” he said, adding, the under-ripe fruits were not worthy even for cattle feed, he said.
In Chettipatti near here, farmers suffered loss of over 50 Madras Thorn (Kodukkaipuli) tress to the gale.
The trees were 10 to 20 years old and the annual harvest had just got over. “We had taken shelter under the motor room shed when heavy rain accompanied by strong wind struck our farm on May 10. But, within a few minutes, even the tin-roof of the shed was blown away,” said K. Karuppasamy (32).
Besides having lost banana plantains on his one acre of land, he also lost some 20 Madras Thorn trees.
“The harvest season is between February and April. This year, we had a bumper harvest. We maintained them well with fertilizer and pesticide. At least five persons were deployed every day to pluck the fruits and some women employed to pick them up and for grading,” he added.
Each tree was fetching him 30 kg of fruits. “In the last 40 days, we made a good profit by selling them to various markets in Sattur, Rajapalayam markets and also to Coimbatore,” he added.
Not just Karuppasamy, but also other farmers have lost these permanent crops in Chettipatti and Maruluthu villages.
“We have so much loss that even the people involved in firewood business were not showing keen interest to take away the huge timbers when offered free of cost,” he said.
Only when these thorny broken branches and uprooted trees are removed, the farmers can ready the land for fresh plantation. “It would take at least three years for us to get the first harvest. To meet the usual quantity of harvest, we will have to wait for a minimum of 10 years,” Mr. Karuppasamy said.
Officials from the Departments of Agriculture and Horticulture have inspected these banana and Madras Thorn farms.
“Though the officials have promised to recommend for compensation for the lost crop, the profit these Madras Thorn fruits gives us in three months would not be met with the total profit I could make through other crops,” he added.
Published - May 19, 2024 07:25 pm IST
