TIRUCHY: More number of farmers in Tiruchy have enrolled their crops under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bhima Yojana (PMJAY) this year than before, thanks to Cyclone Nivar and the awareness campaigns conducted by the agriculture department. Nearly 35,000 acres of paddy have been registered under the crop insurance scheme as on Monday -- the last date for enrolment.
Fifty per cent of the total area of cultivation will be set as a target for crop insurance. Though the total area of cultivation has been increasing in the past two years, the area registered under crop insurance remained low. Officials attributed this to favourable weather and availability of water in the Cauvery.
In the 2019 samba season, 25,000 acres of paddy and 1211 acres of shallots were registered. A meagre 946 acres of cotton, out of the total area of 21,000 acres, was registered on November 17, 2020.
This year, Cyclone Nivar forced many farmers to insure their crops. "As heavy rainfall was forecast for the district, farmers in delta blocks feared inundation and insured the crops. On the other hand, farmers in non-delta blocks, who rely on groundwater, registered under the scheme fearing crop failure due to lack of water," said Rajasekar, a farmer in Tiruchy.
According to the agriculture department, of the total one lakh acres of cultivation this year, more than 35,000 acres of paddy and 30,293 acres of maize have been insured. More than 30,000 farmers have insured their crops under the scheme. Around 3249 acres out of the 5189 acres of shallots has been insured.
Periyakaruppan, joint director of agriculture department said, "Enrolment was a bit sluggish initially. Following a series of intense village-level awareness campaigns in the last few days and the cyclone fear, more farmers have came forth to enrol under crop insurance schemes."
2019
25,000 acres of samba paddy out of 1.06 lakh acres
5, 789 acres of maize out of 27,100 acres
1211 acres of shallots out of 2,090 acres
3100 acres out of the total area of 30,000 acres of cotton
2020
35,000 acres of samba paddy out of more than 1.1 lakh acres
30,293 acres of maize out of 44,000 acres
3249 acres out of 5189 acres of shallots
946 acres out of 21,000 acres of cotton