Guj govt to survey crop loss due to rains

The Gujarat government on Wednesday announced that it will undertake a survey to assess crop damage and compensate farmers who have suffered losses due to the week-long incessant rainfall in the state.

Speaking to reporters in Gandhinagar, state agriculture minister R C Faldu said the decision to conduct a survey was taken during a state cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

Farmers will get compensation as per the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), which mandates that the loss must be over 33 per cent, the minister said.

“Gujarat has so far received over 120 per cent of its average annual rainfall. Incessant rain and resultant water logging destroyed standing crops in several parts of the state. Hence, our government has decided to give compensation to farmers as per SDRF norms,” he said.

The survey to assess crop damage will be completed in 15 days and compensation will be paid accordingly, he added.

Although excess rainfall destroyed crops in several parts of the state, the storage of water will benefit farmers for the next two years, Faldu said.

According to a government release, Gujarat has so far received over 1,005 mm or 39 inches of rain, which is 121.05 per cent of total annual rainfall.

Of the total 251 talukas, 94 received more than 1,000 mm of rain, while 134 talukas received between 501 mm and 1,000 mm of rainfall. PTI