Over a decade, in and around Tiruvannamalai and Dharmapuri districts of Tamil Nadu, fair part of Palmarosa cultivation is being done towards local and export markets. According to weather map classifications, these districts of Tamil Nadu are subject to the annual drought during the months of March to June.
Although Palmarosa is a drought resistant crop, the yield becomes visibly low at these drought periods. The number of harvests in a year will be lower to 3 than the normal harvest of 4 or 5. This affects the economy of Palmarosa Cultivation adversely.
According to an independent data, factual indicators provide a sense of failure in rainfall that is due with northwest monsoon for the state of Tamil Nadu.
As per the recordings, Dharmapuri district has received 276 mm rainfall. The normal is 327mm which shows -16% in deficiency. Tiruvannamalai district has received 343 mm rainfall. The normal is 460 mm which shows -25% in deficiency.
Also, along this year, not a single cyclone has happened in these areas of Tamil Nadu, marking it a record absence after 40 years of previous cyclone.
These further challenges the required irrigation pattern for fair cultivation and all factors together, delay the growth of Palmarosa for more than 40 days with low yield in this year of 2020, costing a loss appetite of one good harvest.
Knowingly, most of the fields will be in danger of drought and lead to death of crops the climate and lower palmarosa price burning the hope of farmers across Tamil Nadu.