Covid-hit farmers suffer loss as grains stored in underground stockyards decay due to rains in Gadag

They Stored Grains Underground For Difficult Times, But Rains Took Toll Of Them
Villagers dug out grains stored in stockyard after they were found decayed in Timmapur village of Gadag taluk. (Photo | EPS)
Villagers dug out grains stored in stockyard after they were found decayed in Timmapur village of Gadag taluk. (Photo | EPS)

GADAG: The farmers in Gadag taluk have lost grains that were stored in underground stockyards due to incessant rains and rise in the underground water level.

The loss is much recorded at Timmapur village which has more than 250 stockyards in the village. Known as Hagevu in Kannada, nearly 70 such stockyards have been found damaged.  

The farmers of Timmapur said that it is the first time that they are witnessing such an incident as stockyards are made to store the grains safely. In Timmapur more than 50 farmers suffered loss and the inspection is still under process.

Veerbhadrayya, a farmer from Timmapur decided to take out jowar and sell it in the market on Sunday morning. He also told the family members that the jowar stored in the stockyard will help them to get money as they lost crops after heavy rain. To his surprise, he found 42 jowar gunny bags decayed in the stockyards. The news spread across the village and other farmers also started checking their stockyards only to find the same results.

The stockyard is an underground storage system dug more than 10 feet in the earth and nearly 30 to 40 gunny bags of food grains can be stored in a stockyard. Farmers store their food grains for a year or two in these stockyards but this time it was a surprise for them as grains found wet and decayed.

The Gram Panchayat and district administration officials visited the spot and inspected some stockyards on Sunday. According to the primary reports, grains worth lakhs of rupees were lost in the stockyards. After Covid hit the farmers who thought that these stored grains will help them to fetch money are now panic.  

“Our ancestors dug these stockyards to store grains. We store grains and wait till they get good price in the market or we store them to sow in the field during kharif or rabi seasons. But on Sunday when we started to check jowar and other food grains, most of them were found decayed," added another farmer.

A Gram Panchayat official from Timmapur said, "we are visiting all stockyards and are collecting detailed reports. The report will be submitted to the Deputy Commissioner and will suitably compensate accordingly".

The farmers are saying that they have lost all the grains and are asking the government to help as all farmers are hit by continuous rain and Covid in the past six months.

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The New Indian Express
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