State municipal administration and rural development minister SP Velumani has said more than 12,000 hectares of crops have been hit by drought in Coimbatore district.Velumani, who inspected the drought-hit villages on Sunday as part of the state-wide drive to assess crop loss, said maize, corn and cereals have been worst hit by the monsoon failure in the district. The state government would take measures to provide 100% compensation for the crop loss, he said. According to a statement from the district administration, Velumani said of the 9,869 hectares of area under maize cultivation, crops in about 8,230 hectares have suffered damage to the extent of more than 50%. Similarly, corn grown in 1,665 hectares and cereals in 2,200 hectares were affected due to monsoon failure.Earlier, Velumani told reporters after interacting with farmers near Ettimadai that the district received 67% less rainfall this year compared to the previous years. In the last 10 years, the average annual rainfall received by Coimbatore district was 671mm. In 2015, the rainfall received was higher than the average at 820mm. But in 2016, the district received only 223mm.The rainfall received during the northeast monsoon was also lesser than the normal, he said adding that the situation had resulted in a historic drought in Coimbatore. Source - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com