In Ramanathapuram District, paddy is main food crop cultivated in more than 63% of the net area sown.  It is cultivated both as irrigated and rainfed.  Rainfed sowing generally commences from August and will extend upto October.  In early sown area, farmers used to raise medium and long duration varieties of paddy.  There is no marked area for late sowing, but when the monsoon rains delayed, the sowing will be also taken up late.  In the late sown areas medium and short duration paddy varieties are sown.  Farmers are having 10 local paddy varieties in addition to high yielding varieties with the duration ranging from 105-130 days and they will choose varieties according to the need based.  Redgram is sown as a mixed crop with rainfed areas and also grown in garden lands to a limited extent. In tankfed ayacut area Irrigated paddy is sown generally in August to November. Sometimes sowing will be further extended upto December according to the filling of rainwater in the tanks and also release of water from Vaigai Dam to the Vaigai fed system tanks.