Farmers denied crop loss compensation
Farmers denied crop loss compensation, Crop loss in the kharif season. But not a single quintal of damaged paddy was procured as on date,complained Telangana Kisan Seva Samithi president N Venugopal Reddy.
Warangal: Farming community in the district was given a raw deal in providing compensation for the crop loss in the kharif season, due to the indifference of the district ministers and agriculture officials.
As the farmers in the neighbouring Karimnagar district were being given a comprehensive compensation for the crop loss and for which the government has released Rs 98 crore recently, Warangal farmers were left in the lurch.
Not a single rupee was released towards the crop loss compensation for the farmers in the district even as the district officials submitted reports on the crop loss some time back. Following the lack of assistance from the government the farmers were going to private lenders to get loans with high interest rate.
Not just this, following the cyclonic rains in the month of October top officials of agriculture marketing committee visited the district and directed the local officials to procure damaged paddy.
But not a single quintal of damaged paddy was procured as on date,complained Telangana Kisan Seva Samithi president N Venugopal Reddy. He said the farmers in the district have suffered a lot in the Kharif season on various fronts, not just because of the cyclonic rains. The season received above normal rainfall with average rainy days ranging between 18 to 20 for the entire season and that led to low yield. The agriculture officials on the other hand have meted out grave injustice to farmers by manipulating the crop loss estimates. According to the primary estimates on the loss; a total of 3.78 lakh acres of standing crops such as paddy, maize and cotton was damaged and 2.50 lakh farmers got affected.
Paddy in 70, 000 acres, cotton in three lakh acres and maize in 8000 acres was damaged according to primary estimates. But after a few days when the final report was submitted by the government, the loss estimates were reduced drastically. As per the final report, the loss of crop was limited to an extent of 38,000 acres and the number of farmers affected was reduced to 45,000. Paddy loss limited to 30,000 acres and the cotton loss extent reduced to just 3000 acres, Venugopal Reddy alleged.
