The initial estimate of Cyclone Fani’s damage to standing crops in Odisha has been pegged at ₹150 crore, but the State Agriculture Department warns that the destruction of storage facilities and harvested crops stored in the open could further spike those losses.
Low insurance penetration could also exacerbate farmers’ losses, especially in the poultry sector.
“Because of the advance warning, it was possible to evacuate larger livestock, but it was impossible to move poultry. A large number of birds, mostly broilers, were killed,” said Saurabh Garg, Principal Secretary, Odisha’s Department of Agriculture. According to the latest situation report, poultry casualties had hit 34.52 lakh, and more than 53 lakh birds were affected.
With regard to larger animals that would have been insured, the Agriculture Department held discussions with insurance company officials on Friday to instruct them that documentation requirements should not be onerous. Livestock casualties included 2,082 larger animals, mostly cows and buffaloes, and 2,202 smaller animals, mostly goats.
Initial calculations of compensation to be paid for poultry and livestock losses are about ₹10 crore, according to Vishal Gagan, Secretary of the State’s Fisheries and Animal Resources Development Department.
Another concern is the safe disposal of the carcasses. “There has been some concern about contamination of water bodies, although we are ensuring that burial is done away from homes,” said Mr. Gagan, adding that health and sanitation teams had been called in to ensure safe disposal.
The State has estimated that 1.5 lakh hectares of agricultural land was affected by the cyclone, but Mr. Garg said that since most rabicrops had been harvested, the damage to standing crops had been relatively limited. “The initial assessment of damage is about ₹150 crore,” he said.
“But we are still assessing the damage to the harvest that was stored in the open or in damaged godowns, so we expect that to increase the loss estimate.”
Package next week
A Central team has also been sent to assess the damage, and a comprehensive package to help farmers is expected to be announced next week.
Paddy, pulses and oilseeds are planted in winter, but are largely left uninsured as weather-related losses are unlikely in this season. “Only about 2-3 per cent of the rabi crop may have been insured,” said Mr. Garg, adding that insurance penetration was especially low in the horticulture sector.
He estimated that about 30,000 hectares of horticulture land had been affected. These perennial crops — such as mango, cashew, coconut and betel vine — are relatively more valuable and were still standing in the field. Infrastructure used for floriculture, such as greenhouses, drip irrigation and sprinkler systems, have also taken a heavy hit, he said.
