Summer gales blow away farmers’ hope of good banana harvest

All hopes of reaping a bumper crop were dashed remaining week for Duraisamy. With a watch on making a huge profit all over Onam festival, Duraisamy had planted 1,500 banana plants at his farm in Kandiyur, 15km from Karamadai.
More than 1,000 plants in Duraisamy’s plantation were destroyed via gale gusts remaining week. Many farmers across the district have lost nearly 40 hectares of the planation to the summer gale in the past two weeks.

Mohan Kumar, 47, a farmer from Kandiyur, mentioned that he knows no less than 10 different farmers in his village who have lost 50% of their banana plantations to sturdy winds and rain. “We have been planting banana for the previous two generations. Every year, all over the months of May, June and July, our crops get broken. We have attempted the whole lot that the government recommends including providing give a boost to to the plants with bamboo sticks and rods. But when the wind velocity is top, the entire plants get broken,” he mentioned.

Lack of compensation and inadequate crop insurance has forced those formers to shift to different crops. This has resulted in the decrease of banana plantation via nearly 1,300 hectares in the past two years. The most affected spaces are Karamadai, Annur, S S Kulam and Periyanaickenpalayam. As per the data to be had with the horticulture division, greater than 280 hectares have been broken in the past 3 years because of summer gale.

“Almost half of the farmers in our village have stopped planting banana because of this factor,” mentioned Loganathan, a farmer from Annur block.

In the district, farmers of the entire 12 blocks plant banana and essentially the most wanted variety is ‘Nendran’ also known as Chengazhikodan. “The stem of this particular variety is very susceptible and all over winds, they get utterly broken. Also, those are planted as rabi crop in December so that it can be harvested all over Onam festival,” mentioned M Jothimani, horticulture officer.

She added that after every rainfall or gale, the officials seek advice from the villages and consolidate the losses. Assistant director of horticulture, Coimbatore, Sathya mentioned that they send the stories often to the state government.

Officials mentioned that nearly 1,500 farmers within the district have crop insurance. “We try our easiest to ensure farmers don't face losses. But because of top top class which is about Rs three,655 per hectare, the farmers don't go for it,” mentioned an legit. Farmers on the other hand mentioned even after paying such top top class, they continuously did not get any cash from the insurance companies because the norms laid out were unreasonable.

Every time crops are affected, the costs of banana cross up available in the market. "Everyone will get affected because of this. Over the year, the wear and tear has best greater and the charges have additionally considerably long past top,” mentioned S Perumal, a banana trader.

Under the crisis management fund, those farmers are compensated and paid Rs five per tree. But farmers mentioned that they spent nearly Rs 100-150 on every plant. “The crop insurance scheme is also now not benefitting us as the cash is paid provided that the entire farmlands within the village are suffering from the wind,” mentioned P Kandasamy, state common secretary for farmers' affiliation.

“The government will have to declare this gale as a natural calamity and ensure the farmers are compensated for the losses. Else, the farmers will likely be deep in money owed,” he mentioned.