THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Amid all the depressing news about drought, the Agriculture Department on Thursday come up with some good news for farmers. Giving them a shot in the arm, the department has substantially hiked the compensation given under the crop insurance scheme.
The compensation for paddy has been doubled from Rs 7500 to Rs 15,000 for crop less than 45 days old and from Rs 12,500 to Rs 35,000 for crop over 45 days old. The revision, which comes after a gap of 21 years, covers 25 crops including vegetables, cashew and rubber, Agriculture Minister V S Sunil Kumar said. Orders in this regard were issued on Wednesday.
The compensation for coconut has gone up from Rs 1000 per palm to Rs 2000 per palm, while that of banana (bunched) and banana (non-bunched) has been hiked from Rs 50 to Rs 300 per plant and Rs 20 to Rs 150 per plant. For vegetables, it has been hiked from Rs 25000 per hectare (pandal) to Rs 40,000 per hectare and Rs 15,000 (non-pandal) to Rs 25,000 per hectare.
“The hike will bring about a big change in the farm sector. It is also a lasting solution to the complaint that the farmers are not adequately protected,” Sunil Kumar said. “The department is also planning a campaign to enrol more farmers in the insurance scheme,” he said. The compensation amount for tobacco cultivation alone remains unchanged at Rs 20,000 per hectare.