Compensation must be given for crops affected by monsoon rains: Edappadi Palaniswami insists

Tamil Nadu: AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami has appealed for appropriate measures to be taken to compensate crops affected by the monsoon.

A statement issued on Wednesday stated: Due to the lack of a flood control dam on the Paravan River in Cuddalore district, floodwaters are repeatedly entering fields, impacting agriculture. The Vedapuri Canal in Thirunallur, Thanjavur district, has breached, and rainwater has entered fields, causing flooding and damage.

In Attari village near Veppur in Cuddalore district, maize crops planted at a cost of up to ₹30,000 per acre have been submerged and damaged. Furthermore, bundles of paddy stored in an open storage warehouse in the Sethiathoppu area have been soaked in the rain and damaged.

Heavy rains in the Pattukkottai region caused the Maharaja Samudra and Nasuvini rivers to breach, damaging nearly 1,000 acres of paddy. Excessive water release from the Korambalam tank in Thoothukudi has submerged and rotted nearly 1,000 acres of banana fields in the Veeranayaknathuttu area, located along the tank.

Heavy rains accompanied by strong winds have damaged sugarcane plantations in several areas in Theni district, causing losses for farmers. In the Attur area near Tiruchendur, nearly 100 acres of betel leaves, ready for harvest, have rotted due to the continuous heavy rains. Furthermore, in the Tiruchendur region, over 50,000 banana trees have been damaged due to the continuous rains.

It is unfortunate that the DMK government did not take any precautionary measures to drain out the water accumulated in the fields, despite the India Meteorological Department’s advance forecast of the weather and rainfall.

The Tamil Nadu government should take steps to secure adequate compensation from insurance companies for the nearly 300,000 acres of paddy fields submerged by rainwater in the delta districts alone, and for the affected betel vines in Thoothukudi district.

Edappadi Palaniswami has said that government officials should personally visit the affected areas, assess the submerged paddy crops, and immediately provide compensation of ₹25,000 per acre to affected farmers, along with adequate compensation for other affected crops.