Madikeri: The Kodagu district which was devastated by last year’s floods, lost  crops grown in over 86,000 hectares due to the floods.

Replying to a question by Madikeri MLA Appachhu Ranjan in the Legislative assembly recently, Agriculture Minister B.C. Patil said that agriculture crops grown in 2,460 hectares, horticulture crops grown in 10,331 hectares and coffee grown in 73,774 hectares across Kodagu district were washed away in last year’s floods, that caused havoc in the entire district. 

Maintaining that crop loss compensation has been directly credited to the bank accounts of the affected farmers through  a software specially developed for the purpose, Patil said that compensation has been paid in accordance with the guidelines for crop relief. 

Pointing out that farmers have been paid Rs.10,000 per hectare in addition to the input subsidy, over and above the guidance value notified by the Union Government under SDRF/NDRF guidelines, Patil said that the additional cost has been borne by the State.

Pointing out that farmers have been paid input subsidy of Rs.16,800 for rain-fed crops and Rs. 23,500 for irrigated crops, Patil said the total amount paid to farmers as input subsidy stands at Rs.10,093.38 lakh and a total of 38,900 farmers in Kodagu have been benefited.

Replying to another question, the Minister clarified that the Agriculture Department itself was not directly purchasing agricultural equipment from dealers and agencies, but was only providing subsidy to the equipment purchased by farmers as a measure to encourage  farm mechanisation.