Squished by a summer cyclone, Madurai banana growers lament their losses and ask for assistance

The Madurai district, which includes the villages of Alanganallur and Solavandhan, is seeing harvest-ready banana crops being severely damaged by the summer storm, much to the distress of farmers. Official sources said that while the horticulture department has started counting crop losses, farmers have asked the relevant authorities to reimburse them for crop loss.

It should be mentioned that 3,100 hectares of land are used to grow banana plantations in Madurai. Previously, the crops suffered from the temperature spike. The bulk of the crops that were getting close to harvest were badly damaged by the recent irregular rains and summer storms, which resulted in enormous losses for the farmers.

Nonetheless, an enumeration report issued by the horticulture department states that although the summer gale and rains have not had a significant effect, some parts of the district have had problems over the last two months. The summer gale in Madurai caused damage to about 32.40 hectares of banana crops and 0.54 hectares of papaya crops. Of them, agricultural damage spanning about 15 hectares was documented in Alanganallur alone. The study said that the gale impacted 77 farmers in around 28 communities.

Madurai farmer leader MP Raman, in an interview with TNIE, stated: “The summer rains and gale caused damage to banana croplands in Alanganallur, Vadipatti, Solavanthan, and other places. For farming, each farmer has invested close to Rs 40,000 per acre. Most of their crops were destroyed by the summer storm, leaving them with only twenty days left for harvest. The agency need to help the farmers and conduct an enumeration procedure in every block.”

He continued by saying that the district is probably going to have rain in the next several days, based on weather predictions. “As banana crops are in the harvesting stage, the horticulture department should take action towards creating awareness among farmers regarding the measures to prevent crop damage due to rain and summer gale,” Raman said.

When reached, a senior horticulture department official said that the summer gale that struck this year in April and May destroyed around 32 hectares of banana plantations. Following an enumeration, the department provided support of about Rs 5.59 lakh from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF). Farmers are being advised of steps to minimize crop losses, and the agency is actively monitoring similar situations in the area, the spokesman said.