'All steps to be taken to compensate farmers for crop losses'

Gujarat Agriculture Minister Babu Bokhiria assured the House today that the state government would take all necessary steps to ensure that farmers get compensation for losses they have incurred on their crops due to the recent unseasonal rains.
During today's Assembly session, Congress chief whip Balwantsinh Rajput and other Congress MLAs raised the issue of crop failure due to unseasonal rains in the state recently. Under the 'matter of urgent public importance', these MLAs sought to answer Gujarat government about steps being taken.
In his reply, Bokhiria stated that unseasonal rains occurred in major parts of state on March 1, March 2, March 12, March 14 and March 15.

"Due to such unseasonal rains, we believe that Rabi crops including tobacco, potato, wheat, Isabgol (husk) and corriander were severely damaged across the state. We also learned that mango production was also hit by rains in the Saurashtra region," Bokhiria said.
The minister said that a detailed survey is now being done to assess the loss.
"We have asked district collectors of affected regions to carry out a survey of crop loss in their respective areas and submit their report at the earliest. Before disbursement of compensation, we would need that data to find out the gravity of loss," Bokhiria said.

He said that only those farmers who have incurred losses of 50 per cent of crops or more would be compensated. Eligible farmers would be compensated as per rules and regulations of State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), Bokhiria said.
However, Paresh Dhanani, the Congress MLA from Amreli took a strong objection to the 50 per cent crop loss criterion and asked the minister to include all farmers whose crops were hit by rains, irrespective of the percentage of crop losses.
In his response, Bokhiria stated that the criterion of 50 per cent crop loss was set by the past Congress-led UPA government, and it would remain in effect.