After crop loss, Hadoti farmers face dark Diwali

› There is damage of up to 70% to 90% in soybean, around 60% to 90% in urad, 20% to 25% in maize and around 10% to 15% in rice. The average crop loss is more than 50% RAMAVATAR SHARMA, joint director, agriculture dept, Kota

KOTA:Farmer of the Hadoti region face a dark Diwali ahead with more than 60% Kharif crop loss reported in the region due to overwhelming monsoon this year.

Crops such as soybean, urad, maize and rice suffered heavy damages in the region due to excessive rainfall this year.

“I have sown soybean in five hectares and urad in one hectare with an investment of Rs 60,000 on seeds, pesticides, fertilizers etc, but my 70% crops are damaged now due to excess rains,” rued Surajmal Nagar (62), a farmer of Keshoraipatan in Bundi district. “Further, I will now have to spend Rs 50,000 more on harvesting and thrashing of the crops. I will not able to recover my cost of cultivation,” Nagar added. Nagar said, “I had taken crop loans worth Rs 3 lakh and I am eligible for crop compensation through crop insurance, but I am sceptical of getting sufficient crop compensation.”

Another farmer, Manveer Singh (40) of Dolari village in Bundi district said that he had cultivated rice in around 50 hectares, of which rice worth Rs 6-7 lakhs was damaged in 10 hectares due to water-logging.

There are numerous farmers like Nagar and Singh in the region whose crops have been damaged due to excess rainfall.

Dashrath Kumar, general secretary of Hadoti Kisan Union, claimed that there could be crop losses worth Rs 2,500 crores in the region due to the excess rainfall this year. Agriculture department officials admits the misery of farmers. Ramavatar Sharma, joint director, agriculture department, Kota, said that Kharif crops were sown in around 11.56 lakh hectares in Kota division including Kota, Bundi, Baran and Jhalawar districts, but excess rains have damaged the crops heavily and the productivity may go down to 40%. Sharma said in the divison soyabean was sown in 6.68 lakh hectares, urad in 2.08 lakh hectares, maize in 98,000 hectares and rice in 94,000 hectares. “There is damage of up to 70% to 90% in soybean, around 60% to 90% in urad, 20% to 25% in maize and around 10% to 15% in rice. The average crop loss is more than 50%,” he added.

“Continuous rains have damaged the crops, as there was 150% to 190% excess rain in Kota division,” he said. “The average rainfall in Hadoti is 772 mm, but Kota district received 1,233 mm rainfall, Baran received 1,251 mm, Bundi received 1,198 mm and Jhalawar received 1,692 mm rainfall,” he added.

He said the revenue department is conducting survey and the farmers who have taken crop insurance will get compensation through insurance, whereas other farmers will get compensation under the disaster relief package.