THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state’s agriculture sector has suffered a loss of Rs 1,771.05 crore due to the pandemic situation, agriculture minister P Prasad informed the assembly.
In the crop sector, a loss of Rs 1,570 crore and a loss of remuneration of Rs 200.30 crore has occurred during this period. It has also been found that 300 metric tonne crop was lost due to the delay in the cultivation.
If 2,861 metric tonne cardamom trade had occurred in the state in 2019, it came down to 588 tonne in 2020. The pandemic has severely affected the export of cash crops from the state, incurring a huge loss.
There is also a considerable dip in the price in the market for several cash crops. For pepper, the price has come down to Rs 290 from Rs 330 per kg. In the pepper trade a loss of Rs 50 crore has been reported during this period.
In the paddy cultivation, a loss of Rs 15 crore has been reported. There has been a 40% decrease in the vegetable export from the state during this period, the minister said.
Nearly 11,000 new cases
The state on Friday reported 10,944 Covid-19 positive cases when 95,510 samples were tested.
The total active cases at present is 1,16,645, of which 10.5% people are admitted to treatment centres.
Meanwhile, 120 Covid deaths were confirmed, taking the death toll in the state to 26,073. The day also saw 12,922 recoveries.
