Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji

Panaji, Nov 26: Nearly 3,000 farmers whose paddy crops were ravaged by heavy unseasonal rains in October will receive compensation under the ‘Shetkari Adhar Nidhi’ scheme, the Agriculture Department has confirmed.

The rains, which lashed the State soon after Diwali and immediately following the monsoon’s withdrawal, flattened standing paddy fields that were ready for harvest, leaving cultivators facing severe losses.

Director of Agriculture Sandeep Foldessai said that financial assistance of Rs 2.53 crore has been approved for 2,997 affected farmers. Officials’ assessments confirmed that 577 hectares of paddy fields were damaged, with Bardez taluka suffering the most. Crops spread across 200 hectares in Bardez were destroyed, impacting 930 farmers.

Foldessai noted that water-logging led to rotting of paddy, while flattened fields made harvesting extremely difficult, adding to the distress of farmers.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had earlier assured compensation for climate-induced losses. Following his announcement, the Agriculture Department urged farmers to approach their respective Zonal Agriculture Offices (ZAOs) with applications. Officials then carried out field inspections to verify crop loss before approving the claims. The vetting process, which also covered farmers without agricultural cards, has now been completed.

Compensation has been fixed at Rs 40,000 per hectare, with a maximum limit of four hectares per farmer—meaning an individual cultivator can receive up to Rs 1.6 lakh.

The department said the evaluation was conducted swiftly to ensure timely relief, considering the scale of damage and the need to support farmers before the next cropping cycle. Officials added that while Bardez was the worst affected, other talukas also reported significant losses. Assessment of around 500 more applications is underway, ensuring all affected farmers are covered.