Higher compensation sought for rain-hit crops

Anantapur: Communist Party of India (Marxist) district secretary Ram Bhoopal has demanded payment of Rs 1 lakh as compensation for mango, sweet oranges and banana farmers per acre for the crops damaged by the recent rains and hurricane winds.

Addressing a press conference at the party office here on Friday, Rambhoopal said that the horticulture farmers were incurring losses every year due to untimely rains and hurricanes and adequate compensation was not being paid. Banana cultivation in 1,691 acres suffered damage on April 3rd and losses to the tune of Rs 12 crore were incurred by farmers. Similarly, Rs 13 crore loss was incurred on May 3 by banana farmers. 

The governmental norms were coming in the way for paying adequate compensation. Only Rs 30,000 per acre was fixed as compensation against incurring of expenditure of Rs 1 lakh per acre by the farmers. Horticulture crops in 848 acres suffered damage. He demanded payment of compensation of Rs 1 lakh per acre.