Ranipet ryots peeved at premia collection for unraised crops

RANIPET: Farmers in Ranipet district are unhappy with the insurance companies as they are allegedly collecting insurance premia even before the crops for the insured period are raised.

“Till date around 9,000 farmers have been forced to shell out such premia in the district,” said Tamilaga Vivasayigal Sangam state general secretary S Udayakumar.

Elaborating he said, “this issue stems from the fact that agriculture department officials blindly advise certain ‘procedures’ that applies to the Delta districts alone without understanding that cropping patterns are same, but the period raised differs to a great extent.”

Sangam’s Ranipet district president CS Mani said, “As collection of insurance premia is based on government orders, VAOs also hand out adangal certificates to ensure that farmers are not affected by non-availability of this certificate.”

“Though the government said November 15 is the last date for premium payment for the samba paddy crop, in integrated Vellore district samba paddy is transplanted from nurseries only between December 1 and January 15,” pointed out Sangam’s youth wing state president R Subash.

The insurance premium payment date for the next paddy season, called late Samba in the Delta districts is called the Navarai paddy season in integrated Vellore district, is February 15. “The anomaly is that this season here extends up to the middle of March. So, we are perplexed how local farmers would benefit by paying insurance premium for a crop which is yet to be raised,” he said.

“It will be helpful if agriculture department officials – with inputs from the paddy growing districts – suggest the correct time frame for premium payment to government officials to overcome this issue,” Udayakumar added.

Sangam functionaries plan to meet and submit a petition in this connection to Ranipet native and Handlooms Minister R Gandhi shortly, sources said.