The District Agriculture Department has sought a special relief package worth Rs.87,30,450 for paddy farmers who had suffered a huge post-harvest loss owing to the unseasonal rain that leashed many parts of the district during the ‘Naja’(winter crop) harvesting season last month.
In a letter to the State government, Principal Agriculture officer (in-charge) M. Lakshmi Devi said that the unseasonal rainfall in various parts of the district from December 8 to December 15 last had caused a loss to the tune of Rs.1.55 crore to paddy crops that had been cultivated on 388.42 hectares of land under 140 Padasekhara samitis in the district.
Though the rain-related calamities had affected as many as 1,033 farmers, they were yet to get any compensation owing to the current norms set by the government.
According to the norms, the farmers who have insured their crops will get a compensation of Rs.12,500 a hectare, if any crop loss occurs owing to natural calamity till the harvesting stage.
Farmers who have not insured their crops are also entitled to a compensation of Rs.10,000 a hectare. But the loss to the standing crop only will be considered for compensation, not the post-harvest loss. Hence, a favourable decision of the Cabinet was required to provide compensation to farmers, Ms. Lakshmi Devi said in the letter.
