The Hindu Business Line : Cotton body's efforts to raise crop area in TN paying off

AFTER a short lull, the area under cotton in Annur belt in Tamil Nadu has begun to rise. But whether it will continue to rise to reach the earlier levels of over 500 acres remains to be seen, considering the fall in cotton prices this year.Cotton — particularly the MCU-5, LRA-5166 and DCH-32 varieties — was a predominant crop in this belt until two years ago. Though the area was huge, only farmers with a land holding of less than four acres cultivated cotton under rainfed conditions.

However, prolonged drought coupled with pest infestation and falling yields caused a setback in quality. Indiscriminate spraying of pesticides and poor returns, forced the growers to switch over to vegetable.

The area dwindled to less than 50 acres. ``We had no choice. So we took vegetable cultivation for our sustenance and even this was a Herculean task,'' says Mr Kalliappan of Allapalayam village in Annur Taluk.

Around the same time, the regional station of the Central Institute for Cotton Research (CICR) was trying to locate the areas where cotton was grown for `evaluating production technologies in terms of yield, fibre quality and input-output ratio.' Says Dr Isabella Agarwal, Scientist, CICR, `` It was not easy to convince the growers that the returns would be reasonable if they followed the instructions meticulously.''

Cotton researchers set to work, to adopt these villages and impart cultivation techniques under the IVLP (Institute Village Linkage Programme) scheme. The project runs for a period of two years. CICR scientists involve themselves in this programme by supplying seeds of popular varieties released by the regional research station and advising farmers on cultivation techniques.

Dr Agarwal, who is the Principal Investigator of the IVLP project, said the area under cotton had increased significantly in the last two years. ``The response was poor in the initial phase. Now it is overwhelming, with the area trebling in two years to 200 acres.''

The research institute has popularised `Surabhi' for cultivation under irrigated conditions and `Sumangala' for rainfed areas. ``We supply seeds for cultivation in one acres for free. The farmer sources the seeds if he intends to cultivate in more area. This year, we noticed Sumangala seeds were in short supply. Considering the huge demand for seeds, we are also in the process of reviving the seed village concept. We have made a beginning in an one-acre plot,'' she added.

As an inter crop with cotton, the growers were advised to raise maize, cowpea and green gram. A cross section of the growers said this not only helped them earn some extra money but also enhanced cotton yield. ``We could get 4 quintals per acre (of MCU-5) earlier. Now, the yield has more than doubled (of Surabhi) and the number of sprays is just 2 or 3. We are confident of cultivating cotton, but the price levels have fallen from Rs 2500-plus/quintal last year to Rs 1600. We would appreciate some marketing support,'' said Ms Poovathal of Kanjapalayam.

A couple of farmers have even cultivated Bt cotton - both Rasi Bt and Monsanto's MECH 162.