Over 2 lakh Maharashtra farmers get Rs 177.8 crore aid for March rain

NASHIK: The state government has disbursed Rs 63.1 crore as compensation for 70,000 Nashik division farmers who suffered crop loss due to the March hail and rainfall.
Across the state, roughly 2.3 lakh farmers had suffered damage to crops grown on more than 1 lakh hectares following the unseasonal rain last month. They have collectively been awarded compensation of Rs 177.8 crore. The compensation is for farmers holding less than 2 hectares and who have suffered at least 33% crop loss.
Across divisions, the highest compensation amount (Rs 84.8 crore) has been marked for 1.3 lakh Aurangabad division farmers who suffered damage to crops grown on 60,402 hectares. Similarly, the Amravati division has got 24.5 crore for 26,132 farmers with crop damage on 14,458 hectares, and the Pune division got Rs 5.4 crore for 6,331 farmers who lost crops on 2,662 hectares.
Nanded is the worst affected district where 36,543 farmers were affected with crop losses on 21,580 hectares, The district got compensation of Rs 30.5 crore.
Crop damage due to the March rain in the north Maharashtra districts that comprise the Nashik division — Nashik, Jalgaon, Ahmednagar, Dhule and Nandurbar — was on over 35,897 hectares. The bulk of the damage was in Jalgaon, Nashik and Ahmednagar districts. Jalgaon district witnessed damage to crops on 11,991 hectares owned by 18,364 farmers. They have received Rs 20.43 crore as compensation.
“The damage is extensive and the government aid of around Rs 17,500 per hectare can hardly cover the loss. Watermelons on my farm were ready to harvest. A day earlier, the crop was sold for Rs 3.7 lakh. The unseasonal rain washed away all the effort. So what is the loss, and how much is the compensation?” Sanjay Khodade, a farmer from Ahmednagar, asked. The farmer had invested more than Rs 80,000 in addition to the man-hours spent working on the field.
“The government should at least consider the manpower that went into raising the crop and compensate that amount for the season,” said Naresh Halnor of Nashik.