It has been all over the media lately that Kerala was going through one of the worst events of flooding that it has ever gone through since the 1920’s. About 14.5 lakh people have been displaced and 445 is the death count so far. These devastating floods have had a catastrophic impact on the agricultural production of the state as well.

According to the primary analysis by the state’s agricultural department, about 56,844.44 hectares of land has been affected by the deluge, causing 1355.68 crores worth of loss to 3.14 lakh farmers. According to Justin Mohan, the head of the agricultural department, these are only estimated losses and the actual figures are likely to be much higher. A very high number of farmers are still in the relief camps and as per the regulations, they have to report directly to the agricultural office to avail the benefits for damaged crops.

Among the affected crops, rice and banana are among the most affected. Besides the agricultural sector, the animal husbandry and dairy sectors of Kerala have also been hit with a loss of around 800 crore rupees. Roughly around one lakh each of milch cattle, goats, pigs and more than four lakh of poultry were lost, said TP Sethumadhavan, former Director of Entrepreneurship at Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University to The Hindu.

   

The loss when it comes to animal and crop farming thus can be estimated to be at least 2000 crore rupees, but what is appalling is that the state is eligible only for a 235.55 crore rupees worth of assistance from the state as of now. The Centre has given a sum of Rs 93.5 crore to Kerala and the department will appraise the Centre of the gravity of actual loss and push for an assistance on par with the damage sustained to the agriculture sector, said Justin Mohan to The New Indian Express.

Due to the scale of the catastrophe, the government also cannot be blamed entirely for the complications that are entailing these processes. We, as the nation’s backbone, should do our best to help our farmers and our people. Here’s how you can donate to the CM’s Relief Fund:

The CM's Disaster Relief Fund (CMDRF)

Account details:
Name of the donee: Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund
Account Number: 67319948232
Bank: State Bank of India
Branch: City Branch, Thiruvananthapuram
IFSC: SBIN0070028
PAN: AAAGD0584M
Account type: Savings
SWIFT Code: SBININBBT08
All contributions to the fund are 100% tax exempt.

You can also donate through Amazon here.