Crops loss substantial

The floods have hit the small farmers severely, affecting, according to an official estimate, at least three million farming households. Seeds for transplanted aman have been washed away. These need to be replaced in good time for use after waters recede. To that end, authorities will have to develop a very large number of seed-beds, and that too, in extremely difficult circumstances marked as they are by a paucity of dry lands. At the same time, the ministry concerned need to turn their attention to the spiralling fertilizer prices. Unless these are kept within an affordable range for the farmers, the rehabilitation programme might end up crumbling. To help farmers, the government might need to increase the agricultural subsidies, which, in terms of the budgetary allocation for the current fiscal, had already been doubled.

What's needed most is the timely availability of agri-inputs to the farmers to help them quickly rebuild their lives in the flood aftermath.

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