Already hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent lockdown, farmers in Kerala have been dealt another severe blow by the torrential rainfall in August.
Crop damage has been reported in 30,519 hectares of land across the State between August 1 and 9, affecting a little over 1.07 lakh farmers, show data compiled by the Agriculture Department.
Three districts
Idukki, Wayanad, and Pathanamthitta — three districts that have borne the brunt of extreme weather over the past several days — are also the worst hit, according to Agriculture Minister V.S. Sunil Kumar’s office. Major crops, including paddy, banana, and vegetables, have taken a hit.
Idukki has reported crop damage in 2,316 hectares so far in August. The devastation has impacted 20,581 farmers and the loss, in monetary terms, has been pegged at ₹197 crore.
Wayanad, another agrarian district that has been hit hard by the torrential rainfall and floods this month, has reported crop damage in 1,028 hectares, affecting 21,563 farmers. The loss has been put at ₹107 crore. Pathanamthitta has reported crop damage to the tune of ₹215 crore. Rain havoc has damaged crops in 1,039 hectares, impacting 3,889 farmers in the district.
In various districts, damage to paddy crop has been reported in 1,543 hectares, cardamom in 20,679 hectares, and vegetables in 1,800 hectares.
According to the Agriculture Information Management System (AIMS) of the department, crop loss has been reported in 2.16 lakh hectares affecting 7.17 lakh farmers since the onset of the southwest monsoon on June 1.
