Telangana: After rain, issues over crop damage claims hit farmers

HYDERABAD: The extended monsoon over the state has hit farmers the worst with extensive damage to thousands of acres of paddy. The Kisan Mitra helpline has been buzzing with calls from farmers across the state even though the helpline is only meant for Adilabad, Vikarabad and Mancherial. Since October 29, Kisan Mitra has received over 4,000 distress calls."We have received reports of crop loss dut to the extended monsoon and are assessing the damage," state principal secretary for agriculture, C Parthasarathi told TOI.
"Most calls (we get) are about paddy and soybean, in a few districts, which have been damaged due to rain. Most farmers were told that they did not have insurance. Though our helpline caters to only three districts, (after) the YouTube message of Adilabad collector went viral, people from other districts are also calling our number," said N Shruthi, a psychologist with Kisan Mitra.
Despite the round-the-clock service by counsellors, it has been hard for the organisation to attend to every call from distressed farmers. "Our counsellors have been relentlessly taking calls for almost eight hours continuously. Our counsellors are averaging around 70 to 80 calls per day but we are still very far from attending to all requests. Distress amongst farmers is at its peak. Most have lost more than 50% of their crop and are clueless on what to do," Shruthi said. Apart from soybean and paddy, farmers also reported losses in maize, cotton and red chilli crops.
"Most farmers have complained that they are unable to connect with helplines of two insurance firms. Even we have tried multiple times but were not successful. Even if they do connect, there are no Telugu-speaking executives. Clauses in the policy are such that many farmers who have called us may not even be eligible for claims despite their loss. Many have not taken insurance as they do not know the process, did not renew it in the hope of a loan waiver or just don't have the requisite land documents which makes them eligible," Shruthi said.
Some farmers have also reported that they suffered crop loss because their fields were inundated by backwater since the gates of Medigadda barrage (of the Kaleshwaram project) were not opened on time.