MLA hints at relief for rain-affected farmers

The Delhi government is considering a possible relief package for city farmers whose crops were damaged in the recent unseasonal rain, according to an AAP leader.

Bijwasan MLA Devinder Sehrawat said he has written to Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia seeking a relief package for the rain-hit farmers.

Sehrawat, who hails from a family of farmers, told Deccan Herald that an unprecedented natural calamity has befallen on the city in the past few days.

“Rabi crops have been totally destroyed, besides fruits and vegetables. The state government must give relief to the affected farmers,” he said.

If the Arvind Kejriwal government offers relief to agriculturists, it will be a rare gesture as such a compensation has not been given for over a decade.

In 1996, the Delhi government in similar condition had provided assistance to the farmers and sanctioned Rs 1,000 per bigha of cultivated land.

Sehrawat said he along with farmers and revenue department officials carried out a survey and found the picture was not so good.

“The ground survey done by our team has revealed that wheat and mustard crops have flattened. Rainwater is still accumulated in fields which will lead to the rotting of the remaining crop or hamper its ripening”, said Sehrawat.

“The farmers of Delhi are already reeling under high cost of seeds and fertilisers. The bad crop due to rain will add to their financial hardships,” he added.

Sherawat said the impact of the unseasonal rain has started reflecting on the prices of vegetables and fruits.

He said the issue was raised in the Delhi Secretariat while Sisodia was holding a meeting with officials of the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee to keep vegetables’ prices under control.

According to the government data on farmland, almost 60,000 acres of land in the city are being used for agricultural purposes. March and April are the months when the rabi crop is harvested.