With the Mettur dam not opened on the scheduled date of June 12 because of insufficient storage, farmers in the Cauvery delta districts are in a quandary on whether to go in for kuruvai cultivation or not this season.Their worries are compounded as meteorological forecasts have not revealed a clear picture about the monsoon.A section of delta farmers view the “kuruvai package” announcement by the State government as a ray of hope to tide over financial crisis the current situation may throw up after the kuruvai season, according to Sethuraman of Needamangalam, a progressive farmer.Overcome with a sense of trepidation about the prospects of kuruvai cultivation, he said several farmers seem to have decided to skip kuruvai this season and take up samba and summer crop cultivation.For instance, in Tiruvarur district where the officials have fixed a target of about 60,000 hectares of kuruvai cultivation this season, so far the process had been taken up on 7,750 hectares only, he said.Farmers associations have urged the State government to press the Centre to direct the Cauvery Water Management Authority to ensure that the Karnataka released the water without fail or excuses citing weather forecasts.Farmers protestMeanwhile, a group of farmers, led by Cauvery Dhanapalan, president, Tamil Nadu Vivasaya Sangangalin Kootiyakkam, staged a demonstration at the Odampokki River regulator in Nagapattinam district, expressing concern over kuruvai cultivation being hit for want of Cauvery water.Mr. Dhanapalan said a large number of small and marginal farmers and farm labourers will be hit hard due to the loss of kuruvai season and called upon the State government to sanction compensation for them. They demanded effective steps to stop the Karnataka move to build a dam across the Cauvery at Mekedatu. Published - June 12, 2026 08:26 pm IST