Fresh spell of rain may leave more farmers counting losses in UP

The latest spell of rain and strong winds has coincided with the paddy harvesting season and the commencement of rabi sowing, raising fears of widespread crop damage

:Even before insurance companies could assess crop losses and settle claims of farmers affected by September’s unseasonal rains and strong winds, a fresh spell of adverse weather, this time spread across almost the entire state, is believed to have hit a much larger number of farmers in Uttar Pradesh.

A substantial proportion of the complaints in the previous spell came from a handful of districts, with Lalitpur accounting for the largest chunk of affected farmers. (For representation only)

The latest spell of rain and strong winds has coincided with the paddy harvesting season and the commencement of rabi sowing, raising fears of widespread crop damage. “The number of farmers approaching the agriculture department with complaints of crop losses is expected to be significantly higher this time, given the wider geographical spread of the weather disturbance,” a senior agriculture department official said.

The scale of the potential damage can be gauged from the claims received after the previous spell of unseasonal rain and strong winds at the end of September. Around six lakh insured farmers had lodged complaints with the agriculture department through various online and off-line platforms seeking compensation under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY). Of these, the department has found around 5.50 lakh farmers eligible for compensation.

A substantial proportion of the complaints in the previous spell came from a handful of districts, with Lalitpur accounting for the largest chunk of affected farmers. “In Lalitpur alone, 2.80 lakh of the total around 5.50 lakh farmers have been found eligible for compensation after verification,” the official said.

Other top districts, according to him included Mahoba (98,000), Jhansi (55,000), Mathura (48,000), Jalaun (44,000) and Mirzapur (17,000).

“This time, however, reports of crop damage have come from districts across western, central and eastern UP, suggesting that the number of affected farmers could be considerably higher. Paddy crops flattened by strong winds, harvested produce getting soaked in rain and waterlogging in fields have emerged as major concerns,” the official said adding, “The rainfall has also affected preparations for rabi sowing and raised concerns over early-sown potato, mustard and other crops.”

He said once the department received complaints from farmers for compensation, field surveys would be conducted to assess losses and give compensation to insured farmers. “Uninsured farmers get compensation from the government under the state disaster relief fund against certain norms,” he said.