Tarigami demands crop insurance policy in J

Srinagar, July 15 (UNI) Jammu and Kashmir CPI(M) leader Muhammad Yousuf Tarigami has urged the state government to introduce a crop insurance policy for providing relief to affected farmers in the event of natural calamities.

In a statement here, he also called for imparting pre and post harvest technical know-how to farmers for ensuring an increase in agriculture and horticulture produce, the economy's primary sectors which provide livelihood to nearly 20 lakh people of the state.

Mr Tarigami said Jammu and Kashmir, being an agricultural state, was calamity prone and as such needed an early comprehensive and farmer-friendly crop insurance policy like elsewhere in the country.

Despite tremendous development in other sectors, agriculture and horticulture continued to be non-viable and non-profitable, he said.

The CPI(M) leader visited several south Kashmir villages where crops and fruits got severely damaged due to recent heavy rains and hailstorm. He demanded immediate relief to the affected farmers of many villages in Tral area of Pulwama district.

Mr Tarigami said nearly 80 per cent of Kharif crops, vegetables and fruits got damaged due to the rains and hailstorm and appealed to the government to send a team of officials from agriculture, horticulture and revenue departments to asses the losses and for ensuring immediate relief to the affected farmers.

UNI