By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Oct. 30: After the government on Thursday decided to provide relief, the farmers who lost paddy crop to the floods and landslides triggered by the post-monsoon rains are set to get compensation worth Rs. 5.52 billion in total.
A meeting of the Council of Ministers decided to provide relief to the farmers on the basis of the damages caused to the paddy crop.
Based on the latest preliminary loss assessment, the government will provide Rs. 5.52 billion in relief to the farmers who lost paddy completely or partially, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development.
The ministry said that paddy lost in about 111,000 hectares would be compensated.

Farmers who had lost paddy grown in 10 katthas or less area will get 65 per cent of the production cost. Accordingly, small farmers will get Rs. 1,921 per kattha and Rs. 38,420 per bigha.
As per the government decision, the medium-level farmers owning 11 to 40 katthas of land will receive Rs. 887 per kattha and Rs. 17,740 per bigha depending on the cost of production (30 per cent).

The government has also decided to provide relief (20 per cent of production cost) at the rate of Rs. 591 per kattha and Rs. 11,820 per bigha to the farmers who have cultivated paddy in more than 41 katthas of land.
Similarly, the government has decided to provide relief at the rate of 20 per cent of the production cost to the big farmers as well as farmers of all classes.
According to the Ministry, all classes of farmers who suffered partial losses will get 20 per cent of their production costs.

Spokesperson for the Ministry Prakash Kumar Sanjel said that the decision was taken to provide relief to the farmers with full and partial losses based on the cost of production.
According to him, the farmers who have insured the crop will not get relief.
Sanjel said that the farmers would get relief on the basis of fixed production cost while fixing the minimum support price of paddy.
The government also decided to form a task force to distribute relief to the farmers and submit the working procedure within five days.

According to the latest report of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, paddy grown in about 111,609 hectares of land in all seven provinces was damaged by floods and rains.
The ministry said that around 424,113 tonnes of paddy worth Rs.11.87 billion produced in 111,609 hectares of field has been damaged by the unseasonal rains.
The paddy grown in 90,993 hectares of land has been completely damaged, 61,255 hectares suffered partial damage and in 39,383 hectares faced minor damages.

The highest loss of 161,223 tonnes of paddy worth Rs. 4.51 billion was estimated in Lumbini Province, according to the ministry.
Similarly, 138,528 tonnes of paddy worth Rs. 3.87 billion has been damaged in Sudurpashchim Province, 57,557 tonnes of paddy worth Rs. 1.61 billion in Province 2 and 49,748 tonnes worth Rs. 1.39 billion in Province 1.
The rain has caused damage to paddy crops worth Rs. 294 million (10515 tonnes) in Karnali Province, Rs. 126 million (4,530 tonnes) in Gandaki Province, and Rs. 56 million (2,014 tonnes) in Bagmati Province.

According to the ministry, paddy planted in an area of 111,609 hectares, including 42,427 hectares in Lumbini, 36,455 hectares in Sudurpashchim, 13,092 hectares in Province 1, 15,146 hectares in Province 2, 530 hectares in Bagmati, 1,192 hectares in Gandaki and 2,767 hectares in Karnali, has been damaged by the rains.