Tens of thousands of farmers across the Cauvery delta districts of Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur have urged the Tamil Nadu government to provide compensation for losses suffered during the kuruvai paddy season, after inadequate water availability forced widespread crop failures and prevented many from sowing at all. Farmer organisations are also demanding that special package benefits be extended to the upcoming samba cultivation season.

Steep Decline in Kuruvai Cultivation

Official data reveal a dramatic collapse in kuruvai acreage this year. In Nagapattinam, approximately 28,000 farmers cultivated paddy across around 30,000 hectares during the 2025 kuruvai season. In 2026, only around 1,100 farmers raised the crop across approximately 1,720 hectares — a near-total collapse in both farmer participation and cultivated area.

The situation in Tiruvarur was similarly dire. The number of farmers growing kuruvai fell from 59,885 in 2025 to 38,330 in 2026, while the area under cultivation dropped from 77,573 hectares to 46,338 hectares. Taken together, the figures indicate that roughly 26,900 farmers in Nagapattinam and 21,555 farmers in Tiruvarur were unable to begin cultivation and therefore remained ineligible for government assistance under the existing scheme.

The Gap in the Government Package

The Tamil Nadu government had earlier announced a ₹134-crore kuruvai special package after water could not be released from the Mettur dam on the customary date of 12 June. The relief was designed to support paddy cultivation through alternative irrigation sources, including filter-point wells. However, farmers who were unable to begin cultivation at all because of water scarcity were excluded from the scheme — leaving thousands of agricultural families without any income support for the short-season crop.

This is a critical structural gap: the package rewarded those who found a way to cultivate but left behind those worst affected by the shortage. Notably, this exclusion is at the heart of the current agitation.

Crop Losses and Rising Costs

Several farmers reported losing around ₹10,000 per acre after failing to cultivate kuruvai paddy. Others said crops sown using groundwater withered due to intense summer heat, deficient rainfall, and rapidly falling groundwater levels. In Tirumarugal, crops reportedly failed on three of five acres after irrigation sources dried up.

Farmer representatives warned that the continuing water shortage and rising cultivation expenses could threaten the samba season as well — the longer-duration crop that is the delta's primary harvest. Any disruption to samba would have far graver consequences for the regional rural economy.

Demands: ₹25,000 Per Acre, Distress Declaration

Farmers' organisations have submitted several demands to the state government. They have asked authorities to declare the delta districts agriculturally distressed and grant compensation of ₹25,000 per acre — covering both farmers who could not sow kuruvai paddy and those whose crops failed after sowing. They have also called for a separate relief package for the samba season following water release from the Mettur reservoir, and for immediate government intervention in areas like Tirumarugal to prevent further livelihood losses.

What Comes Next

The Mettur dam water release is expected to determine the fate of the samba season. Farmer groups say the state must act swiftly — both on compensation and on ensuring adequate water supply — before the samba cultivation window narrows. The Tamil Nadu government has not yet publicly responded to the latest round of demands, and the depth of distress across two major delta districts is likely to increase political pressure on the state administration.