the goan I network
PANAJI
This Kharif season has been a disaster for paddy farmers in the State facing as they did a double-whammy first due to floods in August and now at harvest time due to torrential rains triggered by a cyclonic storm in the Arabian sea.
In terms of paddy output, the loss has been pegged at around 9,000 tonnes of ready-to-harvest paddy due to the dual bad weather conditions, a preliminary assessment by the agriculture department has shown.
“Around 3000 hectares of land was affected due to torrential rains and in each hectare an average of about 3000 kgs was lost,” Agriculture Director Mhadhav Kelkar said.
“After we get figures from the applications for harvesting subsidies received from farmers, we will get more accurate figures,” Kelkar added on the sidelines of a press conference addressed by Deputy Chief Minister Chandrakant (Babu) Kavlekar.
Kavlekar, who holds the agriculture portfolio meanwhile said, that the recent Kyarr cyclonic storm affected around 500 hectares covered by paddy and the government has estimated the loss to be in the region of about Rs 2 crores faced by some 1011 farmers.
The farmers who suffered
mostly include paddy cultivators and some arecanut plantations, added Kavlekar.
It may be recalled that earlier during flash floods due to heavy rainfall before Ganesh Chaturthi around 6336 farmers suffered a loss to the tune of Rs 9 crore. The farmers of Bardez, Bicholim, Tiswadi, and Pernem also suffered heavy losses at the time. Paddy, banana and other types of agricultural fields of were affected at that time.
The government has so far given Rs 94 lakh as compensation to the farmers.
Meanwhile, the agriculture minister informed that government has identified 500 organic clusters in the State with an area of around 10,000 hectares further adding that with the central grant of Rs 50 crore organic farming will be developed in the State.
Agriculture department also seeking the guidance of Dr Madan Gopal Vasani who has worked in the field of organic farming for last 75 years.
Kavlekar also informed that only 6875 farmers had applied for the Pradhan Mantri Kissan Sanman Yojna from Goa while there are around 21000 eligible Krishi cardholder farmers in the State.
