Kamal Nath demands survey of crop damaged due to deficit rain

Bhopal, Sep 16 (IANS) Madhya Pradesh Congress president Kamal Nath has demanded that a survey be conducted on the damaged crops, besides compensation to farmers in the wake of deficit rain and infestation by tobacco caterpillars affecting the soybean produce in the state.    

In a letter to Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the Congress leader has cited information from many districts, including Khargone, Sehore (CM’s home district), Vidisha, Dhar, Neemuch, Harda and Narmadapuram, about extensive damage to soybean crop due to low/delayed rains as well as tobacco caterpillars, despite use of insecticide and pesticide by farmers.

"Farmers are protesting in many districts, demanding immediate survey of damaged crops and subsequent compensation. But no survey has till date been started by the insensitive state government on the ground, which will
prompt the farmers to go for statewide protest," the letter read.

While addressing a press conference and later a public meeting along with another former CM and present Congress MP Digvijaya Singh in Ashok Nagar district, Kamal Nath claimed that 30 per cent of crop in the Gwalior-Chambal region district too has been damaged by deficient rain.

Soybean, importantly, is among the main Kharif crops of the agrarian state.

MP reportedly is the main contributor to the country's soybean production.

According to the latest Met Department report, despite the revival of monsoon over the last one week, at least of the 53 districts of the state, are still rain deficient.

The rain-deficient districts are spread across the state, including central MP (among them CM’s home district Sehore and national capital Bhopal), districts of western and southwestern parts, Bundelkhand, Vindhya and
Gwalior-Chambal regions, including Ashok Nagar district, where Nath and Singh were present on Friday.