The State government will seek timely revisions in the norms governing the declaration of drought and Central aid in the light of the heavy losses sustained by the agriculture sector this summer, Agriculture Minister P. Prasad has said.
The State’s requirement will be placed before the Union government after discussing it with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Mr. Prasad told The Hindu on Wednesday. The Agriculture department, he said, was pressing ahead with the procedures involved in ensuring adequate compensation to the affected farmers.
“The sector has sustained heavy losses. Yet, our situation do not satisfy the existing parameters for the declaration of a drought notwithstanding the fact that we had heatwave conditions in some districts. The parameters were set years ago and scarcely match present needs. Climate change and global warming are presenting new challenges and a timely revision is needed,” Mr. Prasad said.
He also pointed to a need for greater assistance from the Centre for effectively tackling emerging weather-related challenges in agriculture. “The impacts of climate change and global warming on farming need to be addressed with all seriousness. At present, we are doing it with the limited resources in our hand. It is evident that we need assistance over and above that,” he said.
Block-wise assessments carried out by the department on the impact of the largely rainless 2024 summer on the farm sector pegged losses, direct and indirect, at approximately ₹500 crore. All 14 districts reported losses that had affected over 50,000 farmers.
On Thursday, Mr. Prasad is scheduled to tour Idukki, where the cardamom crop had sustained heavy losses. Idukki also tops the district-wise list in terms of overall losses. Among crops, cardamom has taken the biggest hit, with losses reported in 30,536 hectares.
In the context of food security, it was a matter of great concern that food crops such as paddy and banana accounted for a significant extent of the current losses, said Mr. Prasad. “The impacts of climate change and global warming on agriculture require close attention right from local bodies to the Union government,” he said.
