TN farmers seek govt help as wild rice spreads across Kanyakumari paddy fields

Paddy fields in Chenbagaramanputhoor village of Thovalai taluk in Tamil Nadu’s Kanyakumari district are facing a creeping agricultural menace, with wild rice weed spreading across large swathes of farmland and driving up cultivation costs.

Farmers have urged the state government and agriculture department to act swiftly to contain the infestation before it spills into unaffected fields and casts a wider shadow over paddy cultivation in the region.

Chenbagaramanputhoor is an important paddy-growing belt, with lush fields stretching along both sides of the village’s main road. Much of the cultivated land draws irrigation from the Thovalai channel, a vital lifeline for farming in the area.

During the ongoing Kanni Poo paddy season, farmers have raised varieties including Ambai-16, TPS-5 and Ambai-21. But alongside the crop, an unwelcome intruder has taken root — wild rice, or weedy rice, which has become particularly troublesome in transplanted paddy fields.

Farmers said the weed first appeared in the area about four years ago, but its presence has grown sharply in recent seasons. It is now estimated to have spread across nearly 150 acres of the roughly 500 acres under paddy cultivation in the village.

What makes wild rice especially troublesome is its deceptive resemblance to cultivated paddy during the early stages of growth. This makes it difficult for farmers to distinguish and remove, allowing it to compete with the crop for water, nutrients and growing space.

The infestation is also putting an additional strain on farmers’ finances. Labourers have to painstakingly inspect fields and pull out the weed by hand, adding to cultivation expenses at a time when farm labour and input costs are already high.

Farmers fear that the problem could become harder to contain with every passing season. Seeds left behind in the soil can germinate in subsequent crops, creating a cycle of recurring infestation and potentially allowing the weed to spread into a much larger area.

The Chenbagaramanputhoor Farmers Association has therefore appealed to the government to intervene before the problem gains a stronger foothold.

Farmers have sought field-level inspections by agriculture officials, identification of the source of the infestation and scientific advice on effective control measures. They have also called for coordinated efforts to shield unaffected fields from contamination and prevent wild rice from becoming a persistent threat to the region’s paddy cultivation.

With IANS inputs