The harsh summer of 2024 has left the State’s agriculture sector reeling under heavy losses, a block-wise assessment of the situation carried out by the State Agriculture Department has found. In direct and indirect terms, the losses have been pegged at over ₹500 crore.
The absence of summer rainfall and the resultant crop loss hit 56,947 farmers during February, March and April. Crop loss was reported in 46,587 hectares affecting cardamom, paddy, pepper and banana the most, according to the report which was handed over to Agriculture Minister P. Prasad the other day.
Direct losses arising from crop loss were pegged at ₹260 crore, covering 23,021 hectares, and indirect losses from impacts on production, ₹250 crore across 23,569 hectares.
