According to sources in the agriculture department, the government is likely to announce a package for this natural calamity at the ongoing monsoon session of the state legislature.NEARLY1,63,889 hectares of farmland in Marathwada area has come under snail attack, the government informed the legislative assembly on Monday. Soyabean crop has been hit the most, the government said.
The issue of snail attack, one of the rare instances in the state, was raised through a calling attention motion in the Assembly by BJP MLA Abhimanyu Pawar and few others. Pawar highlighted that the snail attack has destroyed soyabean and other Kharif crops.
Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar said the farmers are now being faced with the threat of conducting second time sowing as entire Kharif crop has been destroyed by the snail attack. “It was necessary that panchanamas are conducted immediately to ascertain the losses,” he said.
Pawar pointed out that the said snail attack should be included in to ‘pest attack’ category or natural calamities to ensure that compensation is paid to farmers. “Farmers should be paid Rs 50,000 per acre as compensation,” he demanded.
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According to the reply from state’s Relief and Rehabilitation department, 1.57 lakh hectare land in Latur, 2,610 hectare land in Osmanabad and 3,712 hectare in Beed district have suffered snail attack.
According to sources in the agriculture department, the government is likely to announce a package for this natural calamity at the ongoing monsoon session of the state legislature.