Expressing serious concern over extensive damage caused to the crops due to unseasonal rains in the Himachal Pradesh, leading to financial losses to the farmers and horticulturist, the left party has demanded suitable compensation.

HP Communist Party of India (Marxist), Shimla District Secretary Sanjay Chauhan said here on Sunday that inclement weather has increased the crisis in the state, as almost all the crops including apple, pear, mango, stone fruits, off-season vegetables, wheat have been destroyed.

The party has demanded that the state government should immediately assess the losses and provide proper compensation to the farmers and horticulturists.

“Those farmers and horticulturists who are insured under the crop insurance scheme should be compensated immediately,” said Chauhan.

The government should immediately stop the recovery of loans taken by the farmers and horticulturists and provide relief to them by immediately paying the outstanding amount of about Rs 90 crore for the apples taken under the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS), he demanded.

“In almost all the districts of the state, the unseasonal rains, drop in temperature and continuous heavy hailstorm have caused huge damage to the crops. More than 60 percent of the apple crop alone has been destroyed, due to which the apple growers of the state have suffered a loss of crores of rupees,” he said, adding that in many areas 90 percent of the apple crop has been destroyed due to which the apple growers are facing difficulty in  meeting their daily expenses.

He blamed the state government for not paying heed to the demands of the farmers and horticulturists who have been  demanding for proper assessment of the losses.

The economy of apples in the state is about Rs 6000 crore rupees, which is an important contribution to the state’s economy, he said.

“The government is ending the assistance it used to provide in the field of agriculture and horticulture, due to which the farmers and horticulturalists are forced to buy costly items from the open market. Now the natural calamities have led to an economic crisis,” he said, adding that now it is absolutely not possible for the farmer to get out of this agrarian crisis without the help of the government.

In view of the seriousness of the agricultural crisis, the government should immediately discharge its responsibility and set up a disaster relief fund for the agriculture and horticulture sector and appropriate compensation should be given to the farmers and horticulturists by immediately assessing the losses caused by natural calamities.