Mysore rains destroy commercial crops

The recent excessive downpour has caused major damage to commercial crops in Mysore district. The three chief commercial crops - tobacco, cotton and maize- have been hit by at least 30 per cent.

The rains have not only destroyed these crops but have also affected their quality and brought down their prices steeply. Mysore Lok Sabha member C H Vijaya Shankar told Business Standard on Tuesday that apart from the commercial crops, the horticultural crops have also suffered extensive damage.

After an extensive tour of his eight Assembly segments, he said the farmers were in dire straits. Many of them have lost their crops either due to excessive rains or floods due to the breaching of tanks and canals. Crops of many others have been damaged, resulting in poor quality and demand.

The farmers are in dire straits, unable to clear the loans they had taken for crop cultivation. Cotton has acquired more dampness and hence merchants from Tamil Nadu are not making purchases.

The price of ginger, which was Rs 1,600 last year, has fallen to Rs 450 this year. Farmers are unable to move the ready produces as rains since six months have totally damaged the rural roads, making them not usable. Even drinking water is contaminated in some areas. In Periyapatna, for example, 100 people were hospitalised a week ago due to water contamination.

While the authorities have not made a realistic assessment of the rain havoc and the plight of farmers by visiting the affected areas, the government has not stepped in to protect the farmers' interests by announcing minimum price support and opening purchasing centres so far, Vijaya Shankar said.

Last year by this time, it had fixed the minimum price support and begun purchase of crops like cotton. Let alone compensate them, the farmers do not even have hopes of a support price.

The extensive crop loss will have a major repercussion after January when supply position will worsen, the MP said apprehensively.

He urged the government to take up relief measures on a war-footing, announce minimum price and start purchasing crops from farmers and also make a factual assessment of damages by convening meetings of elected representatives and district-level officers at district levels.