GUWAHATI, May 26 - During the past nine financial years, since 2008-09, the State�s agriculture sector is estimated to have incurred a total loss worth around a whopping amount of Rs 611193.97 lakh due to the damage to crops caused by natural calamities like flood, drought, hailstorm etc.
In all, 2083559.70 hectares of farmland belonging to 5383248 farmers� families of the State were affected by natural calamities during this period.
Disclosing this, sources in the State�s Directorate of Agriculture told this correspondent that during this period, since 2008-09 fiscal to 2016-17 fiscal (till date), the agriculture sector of the State incurred a total loss of around Rs 260822.28 lakh in 2009-10 fiscal, which is the highest loss incurred by the farmers in terms of money for crop damage caused by natural calamities in a year during this period. The State, known as a �perennially� flood- prone part of the globe, was hit by a drought that financial year, sources said.
Floods that occurred in several parts of the State in 2014-15 fiscal, resulted in a total loss of around Rs 109548.21 lakh. This was the second highest annual loss incurred by the State�s farmers due to natural calamities during this nine-year period, sources said.
In the 2012-13 fiscal, flood had caused a total damage worth around Rs 59626.52 lakh to the farmers of the State.
The total loss incurred by the State�s farmers due to flood in 2008-09 fiscal has been estimated to be around Rs 52893.07 lakh.
In 2014-15 fiscal, the total loss caused by flood to the State�s farmers has been estimated to be around Rs 40823.68 lakh.
Hailstorms caused a total loss of around Rs 46761.52 lakh to the farmers in 2010-11 fiscal. In 2016-17 (till date), the same phenomenon caused a total loss of Rs 10055.70 lakh to the State�s farmers.
During the fiscal years of 2008-09, 2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 the farmers of the State had to bear the brunt of flood, while the year 2008-09 was marked by drought, sources said.
However, the flood damage caused by the floods this year in parts of the State are yet to be worked out in terms of money.
