Storm and rain damage crops in Dindigul; farmers seek relief

Madurai: Heavy rain and storm caused severe damage to agricultural produce, including paddy, banana, coconut and drumstick in Dindigul district on Thursday, prompting the Tamil Nadu Farmers' Association to request the Dindigul collector to provide compensation to the affected farmers.In a joint statement, district president of the association N Perumal and district secretary M Ramasamy said crops such as paddy and banana in rural areas including Dindigul and Palani were badly affected. They said that in Palani, paddy fields cultivated on 800 acres were destroyed by storm and rainwater at harvest time, and farmers incurred a loss of approximately 2 crore. They said revenue and horticulture department officials should take swift action to assess the damage and provide appropriate compensation.The statement said the impact covered a 5km radius in Dindigul area, with each farmer suffering losses up to 5 lakh. It also said paddy cultivated on 800 acres in Palani was severely damaged, and in Ponnapuram, crops including coconut, banana and maize were damaged. The association leaders requested the collector to take immediate action and provide compensation.In Vellodu and surrounding villages such as Kombai, Ellapatti, Velankannipuram, Karadipatti and Narasingapuram, farmers cultivated red bananas over more than 100 acres, ready for harvest after a year. However, due to Thursday's heavy rain, banana trees on 75 acres were completely damaged, resulting in a loss of 5 lakh per acre. Farmers requested the Tamil Nadu govt to provide compensation to the affected banana farmers. Agricultural land parcels in surrounding villages also suffered severe damage, affecting approximately 800 acres of paddy crops.In villages such as Balasamudram, Puthu Achu, Kurumbapatti, A. Kalaiyamuthur and Thamaraikulam, paddy crops, worth nearly Rs2 crore that were ready for harvest, were submerged.