NAGAPATTINAM: Ahead of the Pongal festival, farmers across the Tamil Nadu coastal delta have demanded the immediate announcement of compensation, publication of the beneficiary list, and disbursal of relief for samba and thaladi crops damaged by Cyclone Ditwah. Urging the government to credit the amount before the festival, Durai Raj, joint secretary of the farmers’ association, said timely disbursal of compensation would help farmers manage losses caused by the cyclone and meet cultivation expenses.
In Nagapattinam, official sources said at least 26,416 farmers are expected to benefit from the compensation. About 38,395 acres of samba and thaladi crops have been recorded as damaged, and a proposal seeking Rs 26.41 crore has been forwarded to the government. In Mayiladuthurai, sources said 22,083 farmers will be covered, with 38,642 acres enumerated as damaged and a compensation proposal of Rs 26.59 crore submitted.
Farmers’ representatives said there has been a delay in releasing relief for samba and kuruvai crop losses, along with pending crop insurance claims for cotton and samba paddy. “We urge the government to credit all pending relief and insurance amounts to farmers’ bank accounts before the festival,” said SR Tamilselvan of the Tamil Nadu Farmers Protection Association.
Under the State Disaster Response Fund norms, an input subsidy of Rs 17,000 per hectare, i.e., Rs 6,880 per acre, is provided for irrigated crops, horticultural crops, and annual plantation crops that have suffered crop loss of 33% or more due to natural disasters, subject to a ceiling of two hectares per farmer. Heavy rains associated with the cyclone at the end of November inundated large areas of standing crops. As of November 30, officials said about 55,789 acres of Samba and Thaladi crops in Mayiladuthurai and 81,653 acres in Nagapattinam were submerged.