Monsoon 2020 news and updates: Farmers in south Gujarat are facing huge losses as excess rainfall in the region this year led to floodwaters stagnating in farmlands in several districts. The paddy crop has suffered badly, according to state farmers' bodies. Farmers in south Gujarat are staring at losses of over Rs 100 crore, according to Jayesh Patel, president of the Gujarat Khedut Samaj.
"Paddy and sugarcane are the two main crops of south Gujarat. The total paddy crop is estimated at approximately Rs 500 crore," Mr Patel said, adding that due to excessive rain, water is stagnating in the fields and that is not good for farming. "This has caused a loss of around 20 to 25 per cent of the total production, which would amount to approximately Rs 100 crore to Rs 125 crore," he said. The farmers of south Gujarat appealed to the state government for financial aid..
Tanay Desai, a farmer from Surat district said, due to the accumulation of water in his paddy field, he faced an approximate loss of Rs 30,000 to Rs 35,000. "We demand that the government conducts a survey of losses and provides assistance to the affected farmers," Mr Desai said.
Several parts of Gujarat received incessant rainfall this monsoon, leading to flood-like situation and over 12 rain-related deaths have been reported. Earlier in September, three districts of Bharuch, Narmada and Vadodara received very heavy rain and over 9,000 people had to be shifted after water level of the Narmada river rose dangerously.
(Inputs from ANI & PTI)
