Alappuzha: Rs 1,300-crore crop loss in floods

ALAPPUZHA: The recent floods have caused crop losses worth Rs 1,300 crore affecting three lakh farmers in the state, according to Agriculture Minister V.S. Sunilkumar.

The minister, who visited Kainakary where bunds were breached, said that crops in 33,000 hectares were lost while Kuttanad suffered losses in 3,000 hectares. The crop loss in the district is estimated at Rs 119 crore. Bunds were breached in 19 paddy polders damaging 1050 hectares of crops. As many as  59 paddy polders and crops in 2,759 ha remain inundated.

The relief for the affected people will be distributed like in last year. Twenty percent of the amount will be allotted in advance to padasekhara committees which have started  bund strengthening works. Farmers will be supplied free seeds to launch the next crops and the order on pumping subsidies will be issued.

Though Rs 5 crore had been allocated to build the bund at  Kainakary,  its release was delayed due to technical issues which were being solved by the finance department.

The government has also allocated Rs 1000 crore to implement the Kuttanad package which requires the coordination of all departments, he said.

The minister inspected the bund work at the  paddy polders before meeting the inmates of the relief camp at Carmel High School.  

He was accompanied by district collector Dr. Adeela Abdulla,  Kainakary panchayat president Sheela Sajeev and principal agriculture officer Latha G. Panicker.