In a significant development for farmers across Kozhikode district, newly appointed Kerala Agriculture Minister T. Siddique has promised to replant crops damaged by recent heavy rains in the district’s hill regions. The minister visited the severely affected areas on May 27, 2026, and assured farmers in Nadapuram, Kavilumpara, and Maruthonkara gram panchayats that the government would provide complete support for crop restoration and replanting efforts. This comes after Kozhikode experienced unprecedented heavy rainfall accompanied by strong winds with speeds reaching 40-50 kmph starting around May 10-11, 2026, which caused widespread destruction to agricultural crops across multiple areas, particularly in the northern regions and high ranges of the district.
The disaster affected 101.47 hectares of agricultural land in Kozhikode alone, with an additional 242.74 hectares damaged in Wayanad. The incessant downpour over four consecutive days, accompanied by gusty winds, took a severe toll on plantations and standing crops across the state, especially in the high ranges. The hardest-hit areas in Kozhikode include Nadapuram (including Valayam, Vanimel, and Kallachi), Kavilumpara, Maruthonkara, Perambra, Vilangad, Thodannur, Mukkam, Kakkur, and Kunnummal. In these areas, uprooted trees blocked roads, waterlogging submerged streets, and power outages left residents in darkness. The crops destroyed include plantation crops like rubber, pepper, arecanut, coconut, cashew, clove, cocoa, and castor, as well as fruit crops like plantain, jackfruit, and mango, vegetable crops including spinach and leafy vegetables, and field crops like paddy and summer crops.
Agriculture Minister T. Siddique, who recently received the Agriculture, Soil Survey & Soil Conservation, Kerala Agricultural University, and Warehousing Corporation portfolios in the newly formed UDF government under Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan, personally visited the affected areas on May 27, 2026. The minister received a grand welcome in Kozhikode after taking charge as State Agriculture Minister on May 23, 2026, just days before visiting the disaster-hit areas. During his assessment visit to Nadapuram, Kavilumpara, and Maruthonkara gram panchayats, Minister T. Siddique met with farmers who suffered major crop losses due to excessive rains and made several important commitments including free seeds for replanting damaged crops, financial compensation from State Disaster Management Authority funds, technical support with agricultural officers deployed to guide farmers on replanting, bund construction assistance for damaged field bunds, extended deadline with 10 additional days granted due to network connectivity issues, and fast-track processing with all applications to be cleared swiftly with Local Self-Governments and Agriculture Department cooperation.
The minister also issued specific directives including ordering officials to submit a report on increasing compensation amounts for crops under the natural disaster relief scheme, directing submission of a proposal to increase compensation to ₹5,000 for nutmeg and clove crops, and reminding that the Restructured Weather-Based Crop Insurance Scheme covers rubber, pepper, arecanut, coconut, clove, castor, cocoa, and cashew crops. Minister Siddique assured affected farmers that the government would help them replant damaged crops and restore their agricultural lands to productivity, with pending applications to be cleared within 30 days and fresh applications processed within 30 days, with officials failing to meet deadlines facing disciplinary action.
The government has established a clear framework for compensating farmers affected by natural disasters, with insured farmers receiving insurance amount plus SDMA compensation as a double benefit and needing to apply within 15 days of loss, while non-insured farmers receive SDMA compensation only and must apply within 10 days of loss. Farmers must apply through the AIMS portal of the Agriculture Department, with agricultural officers visiting fields to assess damage, applications verified by district authorities, and compensation deposited directly into farmers’ accounts. The application can be made online through the AIMS portal, at Akshaya Centres as common facilitation centers, or at Krishi Bhavans as local agricultural offices, with documents required including land ownership documents, crop cultivation records, identity proof, bank account details, photos of damage if available, and insurance policy details if insured.
This is not the first time Kerala’s farmers are facing severe agricultural losses due to climate vagaries, as the pattern of extreme weather events has intensified in recent years with 6,369 hectares of paddy damaged and ₹1.25 crore direct loss from heatwave in early 2024, 7,124 hectares of paddy destroyed with ₹106.86 crore loss affecting 9,264 farmers from extreme heavy rainfall post-summer 2024, ₹110 crore cumulative loss to paddy farmers alone from climate vagaries in 2024, ₹246.61 crore total crop damage statewide from drought in May 2024, and ₹5.8 crore crop loss across 108 hectares in Kozhikode from heavy rains in May 2025. In Idukki, drought-hit cardamom farmers are still waiting for compensation promised by the government, with five months after a ministerial committee visited farmers on May 16, 2024, they have not received a single paisa for crop rejuvenation, with full crop loss in 16,211 hectares, partial crop loss in 13,349 hectares, affecting 22,311 farmers with estimated loss of ₹113.54 crore, making Kozhikode farmers cautious about whether compensation will actually reach them on time.
Following the May 10-11, 2026 heavy rains, multiple agencies mobilized including Fire and Rescue Services for tree removal and rescue operations, Police for traffic management and crowd control, KSEB Teams for power restoration and electrical safety, Local Residents for community cleanup and mutual aid, and District Administration for holiday declarations and relief camps. The heavy rains caused widespread disruption including railway disruption with trees falling on Kozhikode-Areekode route and Vande Bharat Express and Parasuram Express delayed, power outages with electrical short circuits across the state and KSEB losses worth ₹1.25 crore, road blockages with debris from fallen trees blocking major roads, flooding with low-lying areas inundated and shops flooded in Nadapuram, house damage with 3 houses damaged by falling trees in Perambra and roof sheets torn away, vehicle damage with 3 vehicles damaged by falling trees in Perambra bypass, and school holidays with educational institutions closed in Wayanad and Kozhikode. Hundreds of people, including those from isolated tribal hamlets in Wayanad, were shifted to relief camps due to flooding and heavy rains, and in many inundated areas, people were using fibre boats to reach safer places.
As Kerala recovers from this latest natural calamity, Agriculture Minister T. Siddique’s promise to replant damaged crops in Kozhikode stands as both hope and a solemn commitment to the state’s farming community, with the true measure of this government’s dedication lying not in words but in the timely disbursement of compensation, quality of seeds distributed, and tangible improvement in farmers’ lives over coming months. Kozhikode’s farmers, who remember painful delays from previous administrations, are watching closely to see if this new UDF government will deliver, and while the 101.47 hectares of damaged land will eventually be replanted, this crisis reminds us how vulnerable Kerala’s agriculture has become to climate change, demanding long-term investment in climate-resilient farming, better infrastructure, and expanded crop insurance. To farmers: your resilience feeds our families; to the government: your actions in coming weeks will define your legacy; and to readers: consider supporting affected farmers directly, because only by addressing root causes of these recurring disasters can we ensure better days ahead for Kozhikode’s farming community.
Read more at: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/minister-promises-to-replant-damaged-crops-in-kozhikode/article71029917.ece