‘No Bhima Yojana adds to worries’
Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Dec 22: The unseasonal spell of rains and hailstorm that lashed Jammu region in the months of November and December has spelled a doom for paddy growing farmers in the region after a substantial portion of their Kharif crop was damaged. What has added more to the woes of the farmers of the paddy belt of this region known as rice bowel of Jammu is that the chances of harvesting a good Rabi crop have also been lost to a great extent coupled with failure of UT Government to implement the PM’s Fassal Bhima Yojana in the region which is a flagship programme for farming community.
According to sources, the paddy mostly Basmati crop grown from Akhnoor to Kathua belt of Jammu region has been completely damaged with the unseasonal rains and hailstorm in November last month. The crop which was ready to be harvested was completely thrashed and damaged due to hailstorm and heavy rains that lashed the region last month dashing all hopes of farmers about harvesting a good crop to ground, sources added.
The worries of farmers did not end here but the unseasonal rains also delayed the sowing of Rabi crop of wheat, pulses, oilseeds and vegetables, sources said, adding with the excessive moisture in the fields the seeds could not be sown in time.
Sources said in some areas where the farmers had sown the seeds for Rabi crop and which had started germination especially the wheat that is grown in a major area in the region was also totally damaged due to heavy rainfall.
As per figures available with Agriculture Department, in Jammu district alone, 50 to 90 percent Rabi crop grown on 16,452 hectares of land mostly, the world famous quality Basmati rice was damaged due to hailstorm and heavy rains. In Samba district the Basmati crop from 50 to 90 percent was damaged on 1018 hectares of land while in Kathua district the Rabi crop (mostly Basmati rice) was damaged on 4895 hectares of land.
Admitting this, Deputy Director Agriculture Jammu, K K Sharma said that with the loss of Basmati crop there can’t be quality seed for next Kharif crop also. He said even the Rabi crop like wheat which was grown in various areas was also damaged due to heavy rains in those areas where farmers had sown it and where it was not sown yet has been delayed.
Sharma said the re-sowing can’t be done by the farmers in the areas where the seed has been damaged as it is considered a bad omen in Agriculture.
He said that the Department is working out a plan under State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to meet out the losses of farmers. In this regard the Department is working on a proper notification, he added and maintained that the loss was very much this season as there were no such unseasonal rains in last 50 years.
Besides, he said, the Department has ‘Contingency Plan’ on weekly basis and Metrological weeks are fixed. Moreover, there is a plan for every week and seed is reserved for the plan or Department procures the same from other States to provide quality seed to farmers.
The main worry for farmers however is the failure of the UT Government to implement the PM’s Kissan Fassal Bhima Yojna a flagship programme of Government of India and Weather Waste Crop Insurance Scheme. The farmers had taken loans under Kissan Credit Card (KCC) from the banks and in view of crop failure due to heavy rains and hailstorm they are unable to repay the same, sources said.
“The bureaucratic wrangles and lack of interest, according to sources, has been a cause of non implementation of the Fassal Bhima Yojna for Kharif crop in the region,” sources said. However the Department is hopeful of implementing the scheme in coming Kharif crop.
The farmers, while ridiculing the Government claims of doubling their income under various Central Government schemes said: “in J&K we are struggling hard to stabilize our present income as doubling the income is a far reaching task.”
Tejinder Singh, president J&K Kissan Council while maintaining that 90 percent paddy was damaged in Jammu region said wheat seed which was sown in many areas has also been damaged. He said the farmers in Jammu have been put to double loss this year,
He demanded a compensation at the rate of Rs 2000 per kanal to a farmer to meet out the loss. He said there should be total insurance coverage to farmers crops. In insurance coverage the State and Central Governments had to bear 95 percent of premium while the farmer had to pay 5 percent only. The Centre and farmer gave its share but State did not, he added.
He said under NDRF, Government is going to pay Rs 100 per Kanal to cover the damage which is not acceptable to farmers and demanded that a survey for the losses be done in a transparent manner. In past influential people were covered and rest ignored. The Government of India should depute a team to assess the losses by making a proper survey and pay relief to farmers accordingly.
Singh said that farmers are in distress and Centrally sponsored schemes be immediately implemented otherwise they will be forced to launch agitation. He alleged four quarters of the year have ended and not a single penny under Centrally sponsored schemes has been released till date.
Former MLA and senior BJP leader, Bharat Bushan while expressing serious concern over the plight of farmers said Government should immediately come to their rescue as their entire Kharif crop has been damaged and also there are less chances of good harvest of Rabi crop due to delay in sowing,
He expressed his dismay over non implementation of PM’s Fassal Bhima Yojna in Jammu region saying farmers are worried as they can’t repay the money taken under KCC.
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