Kerala suffers crop loss of Rs 20.9 crore in summer rain

Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 18 (UNI) The Kerala Assembly witnessed uproarious scenes for the second consecutive day today over the massive crop loss in Kuttanad.

Opposition members created noisy scenes during a submission by their leader Oommen Chandy on the massive crop loss in Kuttanad and other areas.

Some of the Opposition members, who visited the Kuttandad region yesterday, sought time to speak on the issue. However, Speaker K Radhakrishnan said members who had given submissions in writing would be allowed to speak.

Replying to the submission, Revenue Minister K P Rajendran said the state had lost paddy crops worth Rs 20.9 crore in the summer rains. This was only a preliminary assessment and the actual loss was likely to go up, he added.

Kuttanad lost paddy worth Rs 9.9 crore and Thrissur Rs 11 crore.

He said the government would provide maximum financial assistance to the farmers who lost their crops. The Centre would also be informed about the crop loss.

Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Mullakkara Ratnakaran said the State Civil Supplies Corporation (Supplyco) would be asked to procure the paddy from the farmers.

Mr Chandy demanded adequate compensation for the farmers for loss. He also urged the governmnt to direct the (Supplyco) to procure the entire crop and also to de-water the paddy fields for harvesting the standing crops.

UNI PN KK KN1523