Rodents gnaw away 627 cr worth crops

Aizawl, Mar 27 (UNI) The monetary value of crops gnawed away by rodents last year has been estimated as Rs 67,201.98 lakhs, the Assembly was informed today.

The rodent population proliferated as a result of gregarious bamboo flowering(Mautam).

In his reply to Congress member R Lalzirliana, Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Minister K Sangthuama said entire Mizoram had been declared 'disaster affected area' because of the disastrous effect of Mautam.

However, former finance minister and Mizoram People's Conference group leader Lalhmingthanga insisted that the state should have been declared 'famine affected area' because that would have helped get relief.

The DM&R minister also informed that as many as 1,41,825 farming families had been rendered with virtually no harvest.

Based on the damage reports, Sangthuama said the state government submitted a memorandum to the Centre in response to which the latter had sanctioned Rs 12.93 crores. He added that another appeal had been made to the Centre and the response was being awaited.

UNI ZS PL VD RS1743