CH NEWS, YADGIR
The failure of the monsoon has left cotton farmers in Shahapur taluk staring at severe crop losses, with large stretches of cotton plants withering in the fields.Cotton has traditionally been one of the major commercial crops grown by farmers in the taluk. However, with the monsoon failing this year, the taluk has been declared drought-hit. Farmers who sowed cotton at the beginning of the season are now watching their crops dry up, raising concerns over their livelihood and compensation.
Farmers said, the Agriculture Department had encouraged them to insure their cotton crop at the beginning of the monsoon. However, they are now facing difficulties in getting clarity on crop-loss compensation.Farmer leader Ashok Mallabadi alleged that farmers were being asked several questions when they approached officials to report crop losses. He said officials were pointing to rainfall deficiency and high temperatures at the time of sowing and asking farmers to check the conditions of their crop insurance policies.“While farmers are encouraged to take crop insurance, different conditions are cited when they seek compensation for crop losses,” he alleged, urging the authorities to take a farmer-friendly approach.
Farmers in the region also said that several lands classified as irrigated have not received canal water, particularly those located in the tail-end areas of the canal network.Farmers from Haiyal village said they had gone ahead with cotton cultivation despite the lack of adequate water. They are now concerned that entries in the land records such as RTC, Pahani indicating canal irrigation could affect their eligibility for crop insurance compensation. We have neither received adequate irrigation water nor have clarity on crop-loss compensation. We are caught between the drought and the lack of water, the farmers said.
Farmers also alleged that insurance companies had already cited technical issues in connection with claims.
