Recent rains destroy crops worth crores in Malda

Malda: The recent rains have caused a loss of crores in crop and vegetable cultivation, the state government has been informed through the district administration from departmental office.

Although there is insurance for paddy and other crops, farmers are worried about getting compensation as there is no insurance for vegetable cultivation.

This year, in summer and monsoon it rained as usual. During that time there was a heatwave which caused a lot of damage to farming. Later in September-October the rainfall exceeded the normal average rainfall. The actual extent of the damage will be known only after the water recedes.

Dibanath Majumder, deputy director of Agriculture department, said: “The recent heavy rains, 4.2 per cent excess of the normal, have especially damaged Aman paddy and other crops. Paddy is cultivated in an area of about 1 lakh 52 thousand hectares in the district. Aman paddy growing areas include Old Malda, Gazole, Habibpur, Harishchandrapur, Ratua, Chanchal, Kaliachak. About 27 thousand hectares of paddy cultivation has been damaged in the area. Trees are drowned or damaged.”

In the areas of Ganga, Fulhar and Kalindri river basins, including Ratua, Manikchak, Kaliachak-II, Kolai is grown in an area of about 14 thousand hectares. These trees cannot withstand water. Due to accumulation of water for a few days, Kolai cultivation has been destroyed widely. According to the department’s survey, about six and a half thousand hectares of this cultivation has been damaged.

Samanta Layek, deputy director of the Horticulture department, said: “In the recent heavy rains, several crores of early varieties of vegetables have been destroyed. At this time, the early varieties that stick to the land, including cauliflower, cabbage, spinach, brinjal and radish have been damaged in about two and a half thousand hectares.”

There is a government insurance scheme in the case of paddy or other crops where the losses of the two departments are close to several crores of rupees but there is no insurance system in case of loss of vegetable cultivation. If the disaster management department declares the damage due to heavy rains, compensation will be available.