Numerous farmers have faced a devastating blow as their replanted paddy crops, which they had worked hard to nurture since August, suffered significant losses due to floods. This unfortunate situation comes after their initial crops were already damaged during the floods that occurred in July.
“While farmers have not been informed about the compensation for the crop that they had lost in July, there is no action visible for assessing the crop loss second time now. The government needs to double the compensation for farmers in this category or make a suitable addition to the original amounts,” said state vice-president of the BKU Shingara Mann.
According to data gathered by the Agriculture Department in Ferozepur, a staggering 13,000 acres of farmland were inundated during the floods in July. Unfortunately, the situation worsened in August, as another 19,000 acres of land were flooded, including the areas that were affected previously. The impact of these successive floods is evident in the distressing fact that, in the Tarn Taran district alone, the owners of approximately 4,000 acres of farmland have now lost their crops for the second time in this recent bout of flooding.
Total of 15,000 acres of farmland in the district have suffered crop destruction this year
Similarly, in Fazilka district, around 2,500 acres of re-sown paddy have once again met an unfortunate fate. The Chief Agricultural Officer, Gurmeet Singh Cheema, revealed that a total of 15,000 acres of farmland in the district have suffered crop destruction this year. The situation is equally disheartening in Jalandhar, where farmers are grappling with the grim reality that their hopes for a successful crop this season have been shattered.
Dr. Gurvinder Singh, the Director of Agriculture, shed light on the distressing scenario, stating that approximately 20,000 acres of farmland were initially affected by the floods in July. Regrettably, the same areas have been subjected to flooding once more in August. The recently sown paddy, unfortunately, stands little chance of surviving in the standing floodwaters. In light of this dire situation, the affected farmers are left with limited alternatives, with the planting of ‘toris’ (ridge gourd) emerging as one of the few viable options.
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