Date:19/12/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/19/stories/2008121952290500.htm

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Debt panel told to study crop loss

Special Correspondent

Committee submits report to Assembly

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The subordinate legislation committee of the Assembly has recommended that the Agricultural Debt Relief Commission should conduct studies about crop loss in each district and recommend to the government about which crops should be declared as distressed.

The committee, which submitted its report to the Assembly on Thursday, said that since priority in extending debt relief is given to districts that have been declared as distressed, the commission should identify such districts and recommend them to the government.

The relief commission has received around four lakh applications from various districts till October 31, 2008, and it has taken decisions on only 14,000 applications. The commission was unable to take timely decisions due to delay in sorting out the applications. The committee has recommended that measures such as ensuring close cooperation of Revenue and Agriculture Departments, computerisation of works and appointment of staff be initiated to sort the applications and help the commission expedite the decisions before its term expired.

The committee recommended that crops such as pepper, coconut and areca nut also be included in the list of distressed crops for extending relief to those farmers too. The commission has declared only Wayanad as a distressed district and cardamom, coffee and tea as distressed crops. Pepper, which is the main crop in the hill areas, has not been included in the list and this has landed the farmers in misery in the wake of the crop loss and fall in prices, the committee said.