Unseasonal rains damage over 1,700 ha crops in Thanjavur

TIRUCHY: The unseasonal rainfall that lashed between January 7 and 10 had damaged 1782 ha land in Thanjavur district and a crop damage compensation to the tune of Rs 3.88 crore has been recommended for as many as 2348 farmers after the due assessment, said the Thanjavur district Collector Deepak Jacob on Wednesday.

Presiding over the farmers’ grievances redressal meeting, the collector Deepak Jacob said, samba and thalady cultivation was undertaken in an area of 1.18 lakh ha in the district in which harvest has been completed in an area of 72,711 ha and the harvest for summer crops has been taken up in an area of 1005 ha while 1.14 lakh ha samba crop insurance was completed in the district.

Stating that the unseasonal rainfall from January 7 to 10 had resulted over 33 per cent of damage in an area of 1,782 ha in the district, the collector said, proper crop damage assessment was held by a team of officials and as many as 2348 affected farmers were identified and they were recommended a crop damage of Rs 3.88 crore and the recommendations have been sent to the State government, he said.

This apart, due to failure to take up cultivation and poor seeds, as many as 45 villages were affected in Thanjavur, Boothalur and Tiruvaiyaru taluks in the district and the district monitoring committee has recommended proper compensation to the farmers belonging to these areas.

In order to ensure alternate crop cultivation in the district, oil seeds such as sesame, groundnut and soya have been stocked in the agriculture extension centres for the distribution to the farmers, added the collector.