Ahmedabad, Nov 24 The process of filing applications for government assistance following crop damage due to unseasonal rain is in full swing across the Botad district of Gujarat.
According to District Agriculture Officer U.J. Patel, nearly 57,000 farmers have submitted their forms in just 10 days.
Form-filling began on 14 November, and between the afternoon of 14 November and the afternoon of 24 November, applications surged district-wide.
Officials estimate that 70 per cent of the total workload has been completed, while 30 per cent of farmers are yet to apply. A survey conducted across 189 villages revealed crop damage of 33 per cent or more in 1,78,611 survey patches, qualifying farmers for compensation.
District Agriculture Officer U.J. Patel has urged all remaining farmers to submit their applications before the final deadline of 28 November, warning that missing the date could leave them without vital financial support.
Earlier, the Gujarat government had announced a Rs 10,000-crore relief package for farmers whose Kharif crops were devastated by the recent spell of unseasonal rain conditions, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel described as “the worst in two decades.”
The declaration came before the state began procurement of key Kharif crops, including groundnut, moong, urad and soybean at Minimum Support Price (MSP), a purchase cycle worth more than Rs 15,000 crore.
CM Patel, who toured the affected districts with senior ministers, said the government was committed to supporting farmers during what he called a "natural calamity".
“With full sensitivity, we stand by our farmers in this difficult time,” he said in an official statement.
The latest package follows the government’s earlier announcement of Rs 947 crore in relief for crop losses caused by the extended monsoon rains in August and September, which severely affected districts such as Junagadh, Panchmahal, Kutch, Patan, and the newly formed Vav–Tharad.
The unseasonal showers this time have largely impacted farmers in Saurashtra and South Gujarat, where Kharif crops were standing ready for harvest.
According to government estimates, rains in October damaged the yield across 42 lakh hectares of farmland spread over 16,000 villages, dealing a significant blow to the state’s agricultural belt.
--IANS
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