Belagavi

Crop losses in the district are estimated at around Rs 700 crore, while the government has provided only Rs 70 crore in compensation. This has led to widespread indignation among farmers in the Belgaum district.

For two months, the region has been affected by heavy monsoon rains, damaging approximately 62,000 acres near the Krishna, Ghataprabha, and Malaprabha rivers. The majority of monsoon crops, including sugarcane, paddy, soybean, sorghum, maize, and potatoes, have suffered due to excess rain. As rainfall decreased, the Department of Revenue, Agriculture, and Horticulture conducted a survey, reporting that 24,500 hectares of agricultural land were damaged.

According to NDRF regulations, the district administration has begun distributing compensation to affected farmers. Those who faced drought last year are now dealing with crop damage from the recent heavy rains. Farmers expressed that the compensation is insufficient even to cover the cost of sowing.

Compensation of Rs 17,000 per hectare for irrigated land and Rs 8,000 for rainfed land has been issued, but farmers are compensated for only 2 hectares regardless of their actual losses. Choonappa Pujari, President of the Karnataka State Farmers Association, stated that the damages are in the thousands of crores, leaving millions of families affected. He noted that less than 25% of victims have received compensation, and the NDRF regulations remain outdated.