After excess rainfall in most parts of the State that caused widespread damages and crop loss for kharif crops, the Gujarat government on Tuesday announced compensation to farmers for the damages under the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF).
The State government will conduct a survey to assess the quantum of damage and crop loss. The survey will be completed within next 15 days and farmers having crop loss or damages in excess to 33 per cent will be provided financial assistance on the basis of SDRF, said Gujarat’s Agriculture Minister, RC Faldu.
“The survey work has been carried out in the fields where rain water has receded. Similar survey will be carried out in other parts of the State after the water recedes in those flooded regions,” Faldu stated. Faldu said that the State has received rainfall of over 125 per cent of its Long Period Average (LPA), so there will be adequate water available for farming in the coming rabi and summer crop seasons.
Heavy downpours
According to farmer sources, most of the regions in Saurashtra, Kutch and South Gujarat have received heavy downpours causing damages to key kharif crops such as groundnut, cotton and castor.
Gujarat has seen total kharif sowing on 84.48 lakh hectares, which is nearly 2 lakh hectares more than last year's 82.8 lakh hectares. Groundnut cultivation is reported on 20.65 lakh hectares, cotton on 22.77 lakh hectares, castor on 5.19 lakh hectares, pulses on 4.36 lakh hectares and cereals on 13.47 lakh hectares.