Savio Fernandes, a farmer from Agonda, stands in front of his damaged paddy field in Canacona.
CANACONA
For hundreds of farmers in Canacona taluka, the end of October should have brought smiles for work well done and dreams of a good harvest.
Instead, heavy unseasonal rains during the month have brought them tears at having to see their damaged crops and nightmares of having to bear heavy losses. Farmers have faced extensive damage to their paddy fields across Agonda, Khola, Gaondongrim, Shristhal, Loliem-Polem and Poinguinim, with some damage also being reported in Khotigao.
“Many of the paddy fields in Agonda are destroyed. In most cases, the paddy stems have fallen in knee-deep water, and the grains have germinated. The remaining paddy has rotted due to exposure to prolonged periods of rainwater,” said Canacona Zonal Agricultural Officer Mahendra Pagui.
When contacted, a number of farmers shared their plight after unseasonal rains destroyed their fields. Savio Fernandes, a farmer from Agonda, said they had taken abundant precautions to avoid crop damage by pests and animals but had not expected the unseasonal rains to destroy their paddy fields. “We have reported the damage to our paddy field, and agriculture officers have assured me of compensation for the losses. However, given the meagre amount of compensation to be paid to farmers, I don’t think we will be fully compensated for our losses,” said Fernandes.
Cruz, another farmer from Agonda, said his paddy field had been destroyed by the unseasonal rains. “My paddy field is totally damaged, and though I tried to salvage some of the fallen paddy from the waterlogged field, I don’t expect to gain anything, as without sunshine there is no hope of salvaging my crop,” said Cruz. “We have notified the agriculture office about the damage to our crops. We cannot be fully compensated with the meagre compensation provided by the government.”
Rajendra Velip also said he did not expect to harvest anything from his paddy field. “Though our paddy is partially damaged and I will seek compensation, I have no hope that anything will be left if the rains continue to damage our paddy crops,” he said.
Another farmer said the post-monsoon and unseasonal rains have ruined their fields. “We are left with nothing to harvest, as we do not have any hope of survival of our paddy crop. We had toiled for a long time with great expectations of a reasonable, if not good, harvest,” the farmer said.
Government support
Canacona ZAO Mahendra Pagui estimated that at least 80 hectares of cultivated paddy fields in Canacona have been damaged due to unseasonal post-monsoon rains in October. “Rains are expected in the first week of November and are likely to affect even more paddy fields in the days to come. We expect around 250-300 farmers to submit compensation claims for the damage to their paddy crops, but we will have the actual figure only on Monday,” said Pagui.
Pagui said compensation will be paid at the rate of Rs 40,000 per hectare after verifying the damage. “To facilitate the farmers, they need not only visit the ZAO to submit their claims. Krishi-Mitr staff are available at all panchayat offices to help farmers submit their claims,” said Pagui. “As the claims come to us, our team will physically inspect paddy fields, and according to the damage, compensation will be recommended. If the entire paddy crop is damaged and there are no chances of revival, compensation of a maximum of Rs 4,000 will be paid per thousand square metres of paddy fields.”
“The claims will be processed as they come. The damage to the crops is not reversible, but we hope the rains will stop so that no more paddy fields are damaged or destroyed. Farmers should get proper yields for their hard work,” Pagui added.
