Rain Wreaks Havoc on Kozhikode’s Joint Farming Ventures

Fast summary

• Recent rain-related calamities in Kozhikode district have caused widespread crop losses, particularly affecting Joint Liability Groups (JLGs) of farmers.
• Crop loss as the onset of the monsoon is estimated at ₹44 crore, impacting around 2,000 hectares and 17,671 farmers.
• Farmers in Thodannur block alone reported losses totalling ₹18.7 crore.Plantain crops suffered heavily with damages worth ₹35 crore from 6.5 lakh destroyed trees; paddy farms lost ₹2.6 crore across 175 hectares.
• Field-level damage assessments are unfinished in many areas, delaying compensation and leaving many farmers without timely financial assistance through crop insurance coverage or other means.
• Some self-funded JLGs and groups avoid bank loans but face additional setbacks due to a lack of backup systems for support during crises like these.
• Local leaders highlight the arduous financial situation for affected villages such as Mukkom and Perambra (4,000 affected), where farmers had relied heavily on short-term loans or gold credit facilities to sustain operations now under threat.

Indian Opinion analysis
The recent monsoonal devastation highlights vulnerabilities in India’s agricultural ecosystem when faced with extreme weather events exacerbated by climate change trends. kozhikode’s extensive crop damage underscores issues like inadequate mechanisms for rapid assessment and distribution of disaster relief funds such as crop insurance payouts-a critical area for improvement to ensure farmer survivability post-crisis.

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