The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Crop loss compensation raises ryots' hopes

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 16, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Crop loss compensation raises ryots' hopes

By B. Chandrashekhar

ANANTAPUR, MAY 15. Exhibiting its resolve to help the drought-hit farming community of the district in the earliest possible time through another swift action, the new Congress Government is learnt to have ordered the district administration to prepare the lists of beneficiaries, who have suffered crop loss during the 2003 kharif season, for the purpose of crop loss compensation.

The Government is learnt have directed the administration to send the lists of beneficiaries by May 20 so that the benefit could be distributed among the farmers before the commencement of coming kharif season.

When in Opposition, the Congress had always demanded distribution of the crop loss compensation before the commencement of kharif operations. The compensation given by the earlier TDP Government three times had reached the farmers only after the completion of the following kharif season.

Crop loss compensation of Rs. 144 crores was given to the district farmers for the crop loss suffered in 1997, 1999 and 2001 kharif seasons. The former Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, had announced Rs. 50 crores for the purpose during the party's `praja sadassu' conducted here on January 28 this year.

However, the promise was forgotten in the political activity of the impending elections. There was ample time for the caretaker Government in the State to sanction and release the amount as the Election Commission had announced the election scheduled only during the last day of February. During his election meetings in the district, Mr. Naidu had pleaded with farmers that the did not sanction the benefit due to the election code of conduct and assured that he would give the amount immediately after the elections, presuming that the TDP would be retained in power. As per the official statistics groundnut, the main crop in the district, was cultivated in about 6.69 lakh hectares out of a total of about 7.91 lakh hectares covered with crops during the 2003 kharif season. Long dry spells during August and September last year had inflicted a heavy loss on the crop production up to 80 per cent.

The crop-cutting experiments conducted by officials of Planning and Revenue departments under the supervision of officials of the General Insurance Company had put the average groundnut production of 284 kgs per hectare during the 2003 kharif season against the normal of 865 kgs.

The crop loss compensation, if given, is likely to benefit farmers of four lakh hectares at Rs. 1,250 per hectare or Rs. 500 per acre for a maximum of five acres per farmer.

However, in a discriminatory move the former TDP Government had announced and released Rs. 1,500 compensation per hectare to the groundnut farmers of Coastal Andhra, who had suffered crop loss due to cyclonic storm, in December 2003.

Farmers of the district are also awaiting the crop insurance benefit for the loss suffered during 2003 kharif season. In all 2.2 lakh farmers of the district had insured their crops in 4.13 lakh hectares by paying a premium of Rs. 329 crores. An early disbursement of both the crop loss compensation by the State Government and the crop insurance benefit by the insurance company could prove a god-send to the drought-ravaged farmers of the district.

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Andhra Pradesh