KAKKANAD: Despite the agriculture sector in the district witnessing a devastating loss of over `270 crore owing to heavy thundershowers, the state government has allotted only a meagre `2 crore to compensate for the losses that occurred in the last year.
Interestingly, the amount has to be disbursed to as many as 1500 families in the district. In effect, a family will get an average of Rs 1333 against the huge losses suffered.
Data accessed from the Agriculture Department indicated that more than 4,000 families and an area of 1,763 hectares were affected by pre-monsoon showers that hit the district since January.
Precious crops like nutmeg, banana, arecanut, rubber and tapioca were completely damaged in areas such as Poothrikka, Ramamangalam, Moovattupuzha, Piravom, Thirumaradi, Perumbavoor and Kolenchery. “We have `2 crore to disburse to the farmers who were affected by the devastating impact of drought and monsoon that hit the district in the last year,” said principal agriculture officer.
The farmers will be getting only one-tenth of their actual loss. The government had also disbursed `3 crore to the farmers for the loss that occurred in 2013-14.