Thanjavur farmers worry as 200 acres of banana crop under Cauvery floodwater for nine days

THANJAVUR: Farmers who have cultivated banana in Tiruvaiyaru block in the district are a worried lot as floodwater from the Cauvery is yet to recede even after nine days.

According to sources, a large extent of banana crop cultivated in villages such as Achanur, Sathanur, Vadugakudi, and Maruvur are under water. “It has been nine days, and around 200 acres of crops are still under water. This might cause rotting in the roots, leading to serious damage to the crop,” said M Mathiyazhagan, a banana farmer and Thanjavur district president of banana producers’ association.

The damage has to be assessed and farmers should be paid compensation, he added. “We have spent up to Rs 1 lakh per acre and will incur heavy loss if compensation is not given. As premium for insuring banana is high, farmers are unable to pay it. Even if some farmers paid the premium, they will not get the insurance claim unless the situation is declared a disaster,” Mathiyazhagan further said.

P Sukumar of Tirupponthuruthi said banana farmers would insure the crop only if the damage is assessed on individual basis instead of assessing the damage at village level.

When contacted, a horticulture department official said it has been estimated that horticulture crops cultivated on 89 hectares by 132 farmers got inundated during the recent floods. Once water recedes from the fields, the damage will be assessed, the official added.