TAD NewsDesk, Maharashtra: Since the month of June, the amount of rainfall in Maharashtra has been more than the expected limit. The state has received 1,129.3 mm which is the above the average of 1,036.3 mm and is deemed common in this period.
The heavy amount of rainfall has caused a chaotic situation in around 10 districts of the state. According to the data by India Today, till now 47 people have been killed and about 1.23 lakh hectares of Kharif crop has been damaged. The damage will incur a loss of around Rs 35,000 crore.
The worst affected areas include:
- Pune
- Nashik
- Beed
- Sangli
- Solapur
- Osmanabad
- Gadchiroli
- Chandrapur
- Bhandara
- Raigad
In north Maharashtra, the excess rain has damaged the cotton bolls which means cotton is still in the plant form and it will directly affect the first plucking. The cotton plant is generally harvested in four batches in that area. Since the quality will be very low due to the rain damage, the farmers will get a very low price for their yield.
The Union government has announced a minimum support price of Rs 5,515 and Rs 5,825 per quintal of cotton of medium and staple qualities, respectively to provide aid to the farmers.
One of the agricultural officials said,
“As the cotton harvested will be of low quality, farmers are set to lose an average Rs 1,000 per quintal.”
Similar concerns have been raised for crops like tomato, cauliflower and cabbage crops.
Farmers are approaching the government for assistance but the collection of data on the damaged crops has been difficult for both the parties. Farmers are finding it difficult to submit proof and the government officials are also finding a lot of hindrances in understanding the level of losses incurred at the individual level on the farmers part.
Sharad Pawar, president of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) told the media that,
“The damage can’t be compensated for [by the state government alone]. The state has its limitations. We will have to approach the Centre for assistance.”
Devendra Fadnavis, leader of the opposition, who toured the affected areas for three days, says the state government cannot ignore its responsibility.
“There is a procedure [to be followed] when seeking Central assistance. The state needs to complete its assessment of the loss first.” He asserts that the state government is not doing enough in this case.
Dr Ajit Navale, state general secretary of All India Kisan Sabha, has demanded relief payments of Rs 20,000 per acre for affected farmers.
In this ongoing Pandemic, agricultural production having touched such a bad hit is really making the situation worse for the farmers. And hence assistance from the government is desperately being looked forward to by the farmers and there is a lot of support given by many leaders of the opposition for the same.
