Crops on 2.5 million acres damaged in Maharashtra

The state agriculture minister, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, on Tuesday said the recent untimely rains damaged crops on 2.47 million acres in the state, affecting 1.3 million farmers.

He said the state cabinet would decide on the compensation and financial assistance to the farmers at a meeting on Wednesday.

He was talking to media persons at the agriculture commissioner’s office at Central Building on Tuesday. Vikhe Patil said information on crop damage was being compiled.

“As per our estimates, on 14.82 lakh acres, the damage to crops was less than 50% and on 9.88 lakh acres, the crop damage was more than 50%. The policy for providing relief to farmers will be decided at Wednesday’s meeting,” he said, adding that he would press for last year’s pattern of providing relief without any parameters for crop damage.

The agriculture minister said paddy crops had suffered major damage and the onion crop has been damaged on 86,450 acres. He said a few vegetables and horticulture crops with a major share of grapes have also been damaged.

The minister said the crop insurance scheme was the only way to provide relief in such natural calamities. Therefore, he has asked officials of the agricultural department to revisit the crop insurance scheme.

He said he was not happy with the present crop damage scheme and a working group of officials would be formed to chalk out a comprehensive crop insurance scheme after talking to insurance companies in a month’s time.