Cyclone Gaja did not just uproot physical structures in its path when it crossed the Tamil Nadu coast on November 16. It also destroyed the means of livelihood of lakhs of small and medium farmers.
With no source of income for the near future, their life was turned upside down in a matter of hours.
Farmers’ plight
K Ravi, 57, a farmer of Kalampatti hamlet in Patukottai taluk, lost around 1,700 coconut trees, the only source of income for his family.
“My son is pursing medicine in Chennai. I need to pay nearly ₹10 lakh every year for his studies. Having lost nearly 80 per cent of the trees, I am not sure how I will be able to pay the fees in future,” Ravi said.
Ravi, an advocate, chose to be a farmer following in his father’s footsteps. “My daughter’s marriage is fixed and we are worried,” he added.
He is not alone in the misery. Thousands of farmers in the delta region of Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam are facing the same fate.
12 lakh trees uprooted
The State government estimates that over 12 lakh trees, including coconut (a major cash crop in the region), mango and casuarina, were felled by the cyclone which bore down with winds of over 160 kmph.
“The delta region, being the rice granary, fed the State. But Cyclone Gaja has forced people to beg on the streets seeking food and essential commodities,” said a former State government official, who did not want to identified.
There is apprehension that the farmers who suffered heavy losses might resort to suicide. Two such incidents have been reported in Pattukottai, which is one of the worst affected districts, the former official said.
Bleak future
Chokalingam of Orathanadu has two daughters studying in Chennai and he is clueless as to how to pay their fees.
“Other than the government, nobody can support us. It will take a minimum of five years to get returns from a coconut tree. How will we survive that long?” he asked. It will cost nearly ₹10 lakh to plant around 1,500 coconut trees. Banks will not help farmers, he said.
The devastation in Nagapattinam district was visible right from Velankanni all along the East Coast Road, till Vedaranyam. The roadsides were littered with trees.
Broken farmers
V Thirumurugan of Karuppampulam village in Vedaranyam lost nearly five lakh casuarina trees worth about ₹7 lakh. “We don’t know what to do next. We need to clear the huge debris and start from zero. It will take another couple of years to get the returns,” said Thirumurugan’s father E Vadivel. The State government is not taking into consideration casuarina for compensation, he added.
NR Rengarajan, former Patukottai MLA, who lost nearly 4,300 coconut trees, is worried. Farmers will manage with their savings for two-three months. However, after that they will run out of money and won’t know what to do.
Crop conversion
Following the Cauvery water problem, paddy cultivation declined in the region. Farmers planted coconut trees on a large scale. In government records, the land is still classified as paddyfields. This means, compensation will be paid only for paddy fields. On humanitarian grounds, the State government should compensate coconut farmers too, Rengarajan said.