Kerala floods hit paddy, banana, spices in 45,000 ha: Centre

Floods in Kerela have damaged paddy, banana, spices and other crops in 45,000 hectare of farmland, Agriculture Secretary Shobhana K Pattanayak said today.

The state government has been asked to submit a detailed proposal seeking central funds to provide relief to the growers, he said.

"The state has estimated damage to 45,000 hectare of farm fields. We have also got the same report. More than crops, the damage to houses and other infrastructure is more in Kerala," Pattanayak told PTI.

Paddy has been affected in 20,000 hectare and even banana plantations has been hit badly. Spices like caradmom have been affected in 2,000 hectare or so, he said.

As per the official data, area sown to paddy crop in Kerala stood at 57,000 hectare till last week in the current season, lower than 62,000 hectare in the year-ago period.

The sowing of paddy, the main kharif crop, begins with the onset of southwest monsoon from July and harvesting is done from October onwards.