Hyderabad: Officials have initially estimated that El Nino has caused crop losses of over Rs 20,000 crore in Telangana. The government says the impact on monsoon crops has been severe. Its calculations show that El Nino has damaged crops across 23.40 lakh acres.
The government has decided to request financial assistance from the Centre for the affected people and farmers. All departments are assessing the damage, and they have already collected the basic details. Disaster response officials are preparing the detailed figures.
After officials complete a comprehensive report, an all-party delegation led by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy will meet senior leaders in Delhi and request assistance. A Central Government delegation will then visit the state. The state government will assess the field visits by department and submit a report to the Centre, which will sanction funds.
Officials said cotton suffered the most damage. El Nino hit cotton across 15.88 lakh acres, paddy across 4.79 lakh acres, sugarcane across 1.58 lakh acres, maize across 70 thousand acres and chilli across 14 thousand acres. A report states that the remaining crops also suffered damage.
A district-wise breakdown shows that Nalgonda recorded the highest damage, at 3.58 lakh acres. Narayanpet district followed with 2.40 lakh acres and Sangareddy district with 2.19 lakh acres. Jangaon district suffered two lakh acres.
Compensation per acre remains unclear
Reports indicate that there is still no clarity on how much compensation per acre farmers will receive for the damaged crops. The Centre will make payments based on standards and other factors. Officials are also preparing a final report on the damage with the agriculture, rural development and panchayat raj departments and others.
The government has warned farmers several times about the impact of El Nino. It explained the problems El Nino brings and the steps the government will take. It also alerted farmers about the Yasangi crop and clearly advised them not to cultivate rice, which needs a lot of water.
The government indicated that scarce water and high electricity demand would create difficulties for both farmers and the government. A failed crop would also cost farmers their investment. Field-level information shows that farmers in Yasangi are not opting for rice and are encouraging cultivation of six wet crops, pulses and oilseed crops. The government has made seeds available.