Govt ayes lesser aid for pest attack on crops than announced earlier

Nagpur: In a state of shock, the state government on Friday approved the compensation for cotton and paddy crop damaged due to pink bollworm and ‘tudtude’ respectively, but it is much less than the amount announced during the winter session of the assembly held in the city in December last year.
The compensation amount may not benefit many farmers because it will be given as per survey conducted under the PM Crop Insurance scheme which is, as sources said, “done randomly by representatives of insurance company, village and agriculture/revenue department”.

The sources further said about lacuna in the PM’s scheme, “12-16 experiments are done in one circle (district is divided into 67 circles). A circle is notified as hit/damaged if crop damaged quantum is 33% or above on basis of yield. It is said yield in kharif season particularly of cotton was estimated at around 70%.

As per the notification, cotton and paddy farmers/growers will get compensation of Rs6,800 per hectare for non-irrigated and Rs13,500 per hectare for irrigated. For farmers owing land up to 2 hectare, minimum compensation will be Rs1,000. For those above 2 hectare, maximum compensation will be up to 2 hectare. Specification of area will be restricted up to land on which crop was cultivated.

Agriculture minister Pandurang Phundkar on last day of winter session had announced compensation of Rs30,800 and 37,500 per hectare (non-irrigated and irrigated lands, respectively) for cotton and Rs6,800 and Rs23,250 per hectare (non-irrigated and irrigated lands, respectively) for paddy. Later, the government clarified the components of the compensation consisting of three types, common compensation pattern, National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF) and other under Maharashtra Cotton Seeds Act, 2009. But the notification, issued by the revenue and the forest departments, is silent about the other two types of compensation, NDRF and Seeds Act.

Sources from the district administration and the agriculture department told TOI that there were very less chances for farmers to get compensation under NDRF and also under Maharashtra Cotton Seeds Act, 2009, due to various reasons.

Announcing the compensation, the government has imposed a condition to decide eligibility and amount of financial assistance. Circles that are or to be notified as 33% or more damaged under PM Crop Insurance Scheme will be eligible for the compensation and not as per survey conducted by the revenue or agriculture departments.

The sources further said the revenue and agriculture departments failed to ascertain crop damage due to the pest attack. That’s why the government took the decision to take survey of PM Crop Insurance Scheme for the compensation. “There is no precedent of crop damage due to pest attacks in the past and the damage in the attack is not visible either. Therefore, the survey could not be conducted by the two departments successfully,” sources said.

To know whether any chances for separate announcement of compensation under NDRF, TOI called Phundkar many times and send messages also. The minister who otherwise available on calls did not respond to calls and messages.