PANAJI
Farmers, especially those tilling their fields in the kharif season, often face losses almost every year due to either too much rain or no rain at all.
This year, the situation is even worse with the record-breaking rains over the last fortnight flooding fields all over the State, prompting Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to assure compensation to the farmers.
Already, the Agriculture Department has received applications for crop loss compensation from 84 farmers and the department is yet to scrutinize them.
However, crop loss claims of as many as 223 farmers from last year although approved have still not been cleared with the Agriculture Department claiming these were received late and the funds allocated for the scheme had exhausted.
In a written reply to a query tabled by Margao MLA, Digambar Kamat, the Agriculture Minister Ravi Naik told the Goa legislative Assembly that last year 1,070 such applications for crop loss compensation were approved by the department but only 847 of the applicants were disbursed the compensation.
Naik said these applications were received by the department late and the compensation could not be paid due to exhaustion of the funds.
The minister however added that the compensation to these farmers will be paid as soon as the funds under the scheme are received.
Farmers who intend to claim the crop loss compensation are expected to submit their applications to their respective zonal agricultural officer (ZAO) in the prescribed format along with documents.
The ZAOs or their designated staff then inspect the fields and submit a report based on which the department's 'special committee' either approves or rejects the application and farmers have often complained of unexplained delays in approvals and disbursal of the compensation.
