About 72 lakh hectares farm land hit due to floods, drought in ongoing crop year: Govt

About 63.99 lakh hectares of farm land has been affected by floods in 15 states, while 7.91 lakh hectares of agriculture land has been hit by drought in two states so far in the ongoing 2019-20 crop year (July-June), union minister Narendra Singh Tomar said on Tuesday.

"There have been extreme weather events in the recent past including extended dry period, flood, hailstorm, cyclonic rains and wind, etc. However, there was no significant reduction in the production of foodgrains during last three years," Agriculture Minister Tomar said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

As per the report of Inter-Ministerial Central Teams (IMCTs) constituted by the central government, an estimated area of 63.99 lakh hectares was affected by floods in 15 states during 2019-20, he said.

These states include Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal, he added.

Due to drought, the minister said about 7.91 lakh hectares of farm land hit in Rajasthan and Manipur in the current year.

On crop loss caused by wild animals in Uttarakhand, Tomar -- in a separate reply -- said the quantum loss of crops destroyed by stray cattle and wild animals are managed by concerned state governments.

The Uttarkhand government has paid Rs 59.90 lakh compensation to farmers till October 2019, he said.

The minister also mentioned that the central government, however, has taken various steps to prevent and check damage to crops by wild animals.

The Union Environment Ministry has approved a project for undertaking 'Immuno-contraceptive measures' for population management of wild animals.

That part, assistance is provided for construction/erecting of physical barriers, such as barbed wire fence, solar powered electric fence, bio-fencing using cactus and boundary wall to prevent the entry of wild animals into crop field, he added.