Kerala - Alappuzha   

VS visits rain-hit Kuttanad fields

Taking stock: Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan talking to a farmer during his visit to Kuttanad in Alappuzha on Saturday. C.S. Sujatha, MP; V.K. Balakrishnan, District Collector, and C.K. Sadashivan, MLA, are also seen.

ALAPPUZHA: Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan has reiterated that the government will procure the entire paddy crop in the State without discrimination based on quality of the crop.

Addressing a meeting of farmers and labour union representatives at the Rice Research Centre, Mankombu, after visiting rain-hit paddy fields in Pulinkunnu and Kidangara on Saturday, Mr. Achuthanandan said no farmer in the State would have to worry about the procurement of his paddy damaged in the untimely rain. The Civil Supplies Department had been issued directions to procure the entire crop. If the procured crop was not fit to be processed into rice, it would be used as cattle-feed, but the farmer would not suffer any losses. The losses suffered by the department would be dealt with later, he said.

The Chief Minister also said efforts would be made to harvest crop from fields where the rain had disturbed the process over the last week.

The efforts would be to save every grain possible without giving up the fight against nature’s vagaries, he said, adding that wherever labourers were available, they would be entrusted with the harvest while areas where mechanical harvesting was possible, machines would be used.

Assuring the farmers that he had noted all their complaints, Mr. Achuthanandan said the government would take every possible step to help them.

The farmers and representatives of various labour unions requested the Chief Minister that the government help them to erect shelters alongside the paddy fields so that the harvested crop would not be exposed to the rain. The shelters would also help labourers during the rains. The other demands from the farmers included speedy disbursal of compensation and the government’s help in deploying combine harvester machines.

C.S. Sujatha, MP., C.K. Sadashivan, MLA., and District Collector V. K. Balakrishnan accompanied Mr. Achuthanandan during his visit to the paddy fields.

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