Kolkata, Dec 9 (IANS): West Bengal Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Suvendu Adhikari has asked the state government to provide relief and support to farmers affected by the untimely moderate rainfall in certain districts as an impact of Cyclone Michaung.

In the letter to the Chief Secretary H.K Dwivedi, a copy of which is available with IANS, the LoP has pointed out that because of the incessant drizzling the potato farmers had faced facing difficulties as their fields have submerged and it is highly likely that their yield will probably rot in the water.

He has also pointed out that paddy farmers, who were yet to harvest their lands due to lack of awareness campaign by the state government giving advance information about the untimely rainfall, were also heading for excessive financial loss.

He also suggested that the government should conduct an immediate site inspection to assess how much compensation per quintal will have to be provided to the farmers.

He also suggested reassessment of loans and offered relaxation in the repayment procedure taking into account the financial losses met by the farmers.

“The potato growers should be provided with seed potatoes from Punjab as they are robust and their yield of potatoes is very high,” the letter reads.

He said that the fact is that the agriculture activities have become an expensive process and it has become further expensive due to fertilizer black marketing.

He said that the state government should ensure that the bags of fertilizer reach the farmers in actual prices as fixed by the union government.