Drought-hit banana farmers cut crop area

Cut your cultivation area, adopt water-saving smart farming techniques. These are part of the contingency plans prepared by the authorities for banana farmers in Trichy to tackle the ongoing El Niño-induced drought and delayed opening of Mettur dam.Being one of the leading banana-growing districts in Tamil Nadu, Trichy has been identified as one of the most vulnerable to climatic changes. Nearly 95% of the 6,000 hectares on which the crop is grown is irrigated by Cauvery water through canal systems. The current banana cultivation area in the district stands at 4,300 hectares, 27% below normal.Banana is grown as an annual plant and sown in different phases of the year. With El Niño severely affecting rainfall across the country, the union ministry of agriculture has asked state govts to prepare district-specific and crop-wise contingency plans. Due to poor monsoon and low storage in the Stanley reservoir, Cauvery river water has not yet been released from Mettur dam.“Cauvery water is imperative for our irrigation. Planting without certainty of water will lead to losses,” ‘Vayalur’ S Rajendran, a farmer from Srirangam, said. National Research Centre for Banana (NRCB) is actively issuing El Niño advisories to farmers through village outreach programmes.Researchers say banana varieties require about 65 lakh litres (6,500 cubic metres) of water an acre annually. “We are advising farmers to reduce their cultivation according to current water availability,” Dr R Selvarajan, Director, NRCB, said, adding that such optimisation would help increase demand and fetch better market prices.

Experts are also encouraging adoption of water-saving technologies such as drip irrigation and fertigation, which deliver water and nutrients directly to the plant roots. “Through smart farming by using technology such as Internet of Things (IoT) combining soil moisture Indicator with drip irrigation system and fertigation system, the irrigation can be programmed and optimized,” Dr I Ravi, principal scientist, NRCB, said.

He pointed out that these smart methods reduce the need for constant human monitoring. “Technology has advanced that water application can be avoided when there is rainfall,” he said.During field interactions, researchers are also promoting practices such as mulching — covering the soil with organic materials — and stem recycling, which involves ploughing back banana stems after harvest. Dr C Karpagam, principal scientist, said, “Techniques such as mulching and stem recycling will conserve soil moisture and improve soil nutrients.

They reduce the need for application of nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

”The horticulture department is also actively disseminating these advisories to farmers. “We are also sensitizing farmers on cultivating with minimal water usage,” said S Saranya, deputy director of the horticulture department in Trichy.