Crops heavily damaged due to unseasonal rains: Union minister Tomar

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Tuesday said crops suffered heavy damage due to unseasonal rains, which is a fallout of climate change.

He said state governments are assessing losses incurred by farmers due to heavy rains in their respective regions.

Speaking on the sidelines of an event in Pune, Tomar said the income of farmers should be increased and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is fully committed to this goal.

"No one has control over natural calamities. Climate change is being witnessed due to which unseasonal rains occur in one place while other region sees drought. Because of these factors, farmers are affected. This time, crops suffered heavy damage due to rains," the Union minister said.

Tomar was in Pune to attend the National Level Horticulture Value Chain Function, organized at Vaikunth Mehta National Institute of Cooperative Management.

He said state governments are conducting surveys of the damage caused due to heavy rains and farmers will be provided help from the state Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF).

In Maharashtra, the Opposition is demanding that the state government declare a wet drought in view of the damage caused to crops by retreating rains.

Tomar said 75 per cent of funds in SDRF are contributed by the Central government and 25 per cent by the respective state governments.

"If losses are higher than the SDRF limit, state governments send a memorandum to the Center, which provides the additional help," he added.

He called for all-around efforts to increase the income of farmers which can be achieved by reducing the input cost incurred by agriculturists.

"The farmer should become prosperous. He should be connected to technology. It is imperative to use technology to become a leader in the agriculture sector in global competition," the Union minister added.