Cyclone Fengal damages crops in 6 lakh hectares in Tamil Nadu

17-Dec-2024 08:49 PM

Cyclone Fengal, which struck Tamil Nadu's coast during the first week of December, has caused widespread agricultural damage in the state.

According to Tamil Nadu's Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister, the cyclone and the subsequent heavy rains from the northeast monsoon affected a total of 6,30,621 hectares of land. This includes damage to both main agricultural and horticultural crops.

The cyclone itself caused damage to 2.86 lakh hectares of main agricultural crops and 73,263 hectares of horticultural crops.

After the cyclone, heavy rains and flooding from the monsoon led to further devastation, submerging fields and causing additional damage to crops.

Specifically, 2,25,655 hectares of main agricultural crops and 45,634 hectares of horticultural crops were submerged and damaged due to the floods.

In addition to crop damage, around 2,906 tonnes of agricultural produce stored in regulated markets in Villupuram district, at Vikrabandi and Aragandanallur, were destroyed.

The state government is taking action to assess the losses, with officials directed to complete the survey by December 17. A proposal has also been submitted to provide immediate assistance to the affected farmers under the State Disaster Relief Fund.