Karnataka: Crop ruin hits grape growers in Belagavi, govt to compensate farmers

BELAGAVI: Farmers in Belagavi have started chopping off their grape crops because unseasonal rain has caused heavy damage to the berries and hefty losses for the farmers.
Farmer Jahid Nadaf from Kokatanur village in the Athani taluk of Belagavi has destroyed all the grapes in his three-acre vineyard.
Jahid is in acute distress after losing Rs 3-4 lakh that he invested in the crop. reams.
In Belagavi, over 4,500 hectares of grapes were cultivated in Athani, Kagawad, Gokak and other areas. Athani taluk is known for grapes and the untimely rain has led to large losses for growers who have already suffered financially in 2020 because of the lockdown.
Nadaf said: “I lost Rs 3 lakh due to the lockdown. Now, this untimely rain has caused another Rs 3 lakh loss. I am fed up with this. I have chopped down the crops.”
He said horticulture and other officers had visited the vineyard and assured him of compensation.
Belagavi deputy director Mahantesh Murgod said: “We have started the inspection and we covered 3,278 hectares. Such weather leads to bad yields. We are sending all the crop damage details to the government and the farmers will get compensation of Rs 18,000 per hectare, along with insurance claims by April next year.
Belagavi and other parts of north Karnataka received heavy untimely rain recently that has caused huge damage to paddy and other crops.
The low yield has also triggered high prices in retail markets.