Trichy: Minister for backward classes welfare Siva V Meyyanathan on Monday said that 27 hectares of paddy fields in Mayiladuthurai district have sustained damages due to the unseasonal rainfall that lashed the district in the last few days.
The minister inspected inundated paddy fields in Memathur, Thivilaiyattam, and Vashistacherry villages near Tharangambadi. "Out of 69,000 hectares of paddy cultivated in the district under the samba cultivation cycle, we found that 27 hectares of paddy fields have sustained damages due to the unseasonal rains. Agriculture department and district administration have inspected the damaged crops. The chief minister will be apprised about the situation to initiate actions," the minister told reporters.
He also added that insurance companies will be directed by the govt to identify damaged paddy crops and help respective farmers to recover from the financial loss. A proposal to build a retaining wall along with the Nandalaru river will be considered, the minister added.
"In Nov 2022, the govt compensated the farmers who sustained losses due to heavy rains, around 46 crore was sanctioned then. We would take similar actions to safeguard the farmers this time too," the minister added.

Meanwhile, PMK founder S Ramadoss has sought a compensation of 40,000 per acre for paddy farmers whose crops were damaged in the recent rains that lashed Nagapattinam and Mayiladuthurai districts. In a statement, Ramadoss said around 1.2 lakh acres of paddy cultivated in the two districts were inundated. Stating that paddy yield in Tamil Nadu and neighbouring states has increased, Ramadoss urged the state govt to order the direct procurement centres (DPCs) to accept whole produce brought by paddy farmers as selling it in the private market will not be lucrative.