Farmers who have taken up kuruvai cultivation this season fear that they have to see through it without crop insurance like the last time.

In August last, the State government announced that crops, except paddy, cultivated during April to July were only eligible for crop insurance and the premium could be remitted till August 31, 2021.

This year, the State government is yet to make an official announcement though some senior Ministers have hinted that an announcement will be made soon.

When the beleaguered farmers have made fervent appeals to the government to reconsider its last year’s decision, they have been turned down due to reduction in the Centre’s share in the crop insurance premium and delay in choosing the crop insurance agencies. By the time the two crop Insurance agencies were chosen in late August, harvesting of kuruvai’ paddy had begun and, hence, paddy was skirted, it has been pointed out

Fearing a similar situation this year too, the Coordination Committee of All Farmers’ Association in Tamil Nadu (CCAFATN) and the Thanjavur District Cauvery Farmers Protection Association (TDCFPA) have been demanding crop insurance cover for paddy since the commencement of the current season.

While TDCFPA has forwarded memorandum to the State government and organising agitations in the old Cauvery Delta region of Kumbakonam, CCAFATN coordinator, P. R. Pandian has frequently raised the issue through media.

Talking to reporters at Mannargudi on Saturday, Mr. Pandian said farmers suffered crop loss every year in view of the erratic climatic conditions in the recent past. Such being the case, excluding kuruvai paddy from the insurance scheme had annoyed them.

While urging the State government to extend the insurance scheme for kuruvaipaddy this season, he also suggested that it could think of implementing its own crop insurance scheme on the lines of the schemes announced and implemented in some of the northern States.

Source - https://www.thehindu.com