TIRUCHY: The farmers here are a worried lot after the crop insurance companies here scaled-up Tiruchy from a medium-risk district to a high-risk zone, hindering their chances for benefits. Of the 48,293 farmers who applied for various crop insurance from Tiruchy for 2021-22, 16,587 received the benefits, sources from the district agriculture department said.
The figure includes 25,396 applications for crop insurance, 8,920 from cotton farmers and 13,977 applications for maize crop insurance. The delay in the issuance of crop insurance was a matter of numerous discussions and debates at the monthly farmers' grievance meetings held in the past few months, with speculations arising on the number of beneficiaries.
A senior agriculture official said, "We are not able to attend to all the grievances as we receive at least hundred of petitions every day. With the district being classified as a high-risk zone, only the farmers affected with crop damages of 70% or more would be eligible for loans. Therefore, we urge the officials concerned to relieve the district to a medium-risk zone. We have intimidated the State government regarding this."
P Ayyakannu, a farmers' leader of the Thesiya Thenninthiya Vivasayigal Sangam, said, "First and foremost, the State government should take over the responsibility to insure from private entities. A proper damage assessment system should be in place."
N Rajendran, a farmers' leader from the Tamil Manila Congress, said, "Insurance norms, which used to rigid, have now aggravated. Farmers have been pushed to an extent where they have altogether lost faith in insurances schemes."