The Bihar government has offered compensation for farmers who were unable to plant this Kharif season due to heavy monsoon rains, which flooded huge swaths of agricultural land. Only individuals who lose standing crops due to poor weather; floods, droughts, etc. have been compensated in the past.
The Bihar cabinet, led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, authorised Rs 550 crore for farmers whose standing crop was destroyed during the monsoon season on October 11, 2021. It has also set aside Rs 100 crore in agriculture subsidies for farmers who have been unable to cultivate their property owing to waterlogging.
Sanjay Kumar, the Cabinet's additional chief secretary, said that while the decision to offer farmers with agricultural input subsidies for standing crop damage is not new, the fact that it would pay farm subsidies to all farmers who are unable to cultivate their land is.
"The subsidy would be granted based on a ground evaluation conducted by the appropriate district officials," Kumar added.
"For the first time, the government has chosen to take care of farmers like me who can't use their lands for agriculture. It's a great relief," Harendra Yadav, a marginal farmer from Muzaffarpur district, said
Yadav is one of tens of thousands of farmers who have been facing waterlogging since mid-June.
According to RK Sohane, agriculture scientist and vice-chancellor of Bihar Agriculture University in Bhagalpur, the government move will benefit farmers, particularly small and marginal farmers.
He said, "This will assist small and marginal farmers in investing in Rabi crops."
Using remote sensing data, he noted, government authorities may quickly identify farmers who are unable to cultivate their property owing to waterlogging. In addition, at the panchayat level, the kisan salahkar (farmer advisor) would assist the government in compiling a list of impacted farmers.
Floods, heavy rains, and waterlogging destroyed the standing crop on roughly 663,776.28 hectares this year, according to the agricultural department's estimate. Floods and excessive rains wreaked havoc on standing crops across thousands of hectares, submerging farms for weeks.
