Parliament Question: Agricultural Damage by Floods in Assam

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3973 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 17TH MARCH, 2026 AGRICULTURAL DAMAGE BY FLOODS IN ASSAM

3973. SHRI PRADYUT BORDOLOI:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ(cid:874)ष एव ं (cid:873)कसान क(cid:227)याण म(cid:287)ं ी be

pleased to state:

(a) the details regarding the amount of crop losses reported in Assam due to floods, extreme rainfall and other climatic conditions since 2020 along with the resultant monetary loss for the farmers, year-wise;

(b) whether the Government has assessed the economic impact of recurrent floods and erosion on farmers' incomes and food security in the Brahmaputra and Barak river basins;

(c) if so, the details thereof including the assessing authority, the findings thereof and the remedial action taken by the Government and if not, the reasons therefor;

(d) the details of the area under rainfed agriculture in Assam and the effect floods and dry spells have on productivity in the region; and

(e) the details regarding the compensation, crop insurance and disaster relief mechanisms

provided for farmers affected by repeated floods and erosion in the region since 2020, year-wise? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ(cid:874)ष एव ं(cid:873)कसान क(cid:227)याण रा(cid:207)य म(cid:287)ं ी (SHRI BHAGIRATH CHOUDHARY)

(a): As informed by the State Government of Assam, the details of cropped area loss in wake of hydrometeorological disaster during the year 2020-21 to 2025-26 in Assam are as under:

Year Crop Area loss due to flood (in hectare) Crop area loss in storm/ hailstorm (in hectare) 2020-21 1,88,087.38 904.5 2021-22 19,635.62 N/A 2022-23 2,46,000 242.73 2023-24 21,000 2,410.153 2024-25 49,580.43 11.04 2025-26 7,958.12 22.6

(b) & (c): As per report of Central Water Commission on "Assessment of Area Affected Due to Floods in India, 2024" based on satellite imageries data from 1986 to 2022, the total flood affected areas in Assam is assessed as 2.477 Mha and area protected through various steps taken for flood management by the Central/State Government is 2.110 Mha.(d): As per the Land Use Statistics at a glance 2023-24, net Un-irrigated/ rainfed area in Assam is reported 2287000 hectares. The productivity of agriculture crops in the country including Assam has been fluctuating over the years. The Agricultural productivity is influenced by a wide range of factors, including soil conditions, weather, rainfall and temperature scenario, levels of irrigation, land-holding size, types of seeds being used, manure / fertilizer usage, farming practices etc. These factors contribute to inter-State variation in the productivity of crops.

(e): As per the National Policy on Disaster Management (NPDM), the State Government is primarily responsible for providing necessary relief measures on ground level in the wake of notified calamities including floods. The State Governments undertake relief measures in the wake of natural calamities from funds available in the form of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) in accordance with the Government of India approved items and norms. Additional financial assistance, over and above SDRF, is considered from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), as per laid down procedure, in case of disaster of ‘severe nature’, which includes an assessment based on the visit of an Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) and a memorandum for assistance under NDRF submitted by the State/ UT Government. The financial assistance provided under SDRF and NDRF is by way of relief and not for compensation. The details of funds allocated and released under SDRF/NDRF during last five years from 2020-21 to 2024-25 to Assam are as under:

S. Year Allocation under SDRF Centre’s Share of SDRF Release from NDRF No. including Centre and State Released (for all calamities) Share (Rs. in crore) (Rs. in crore) (Rs. in crore) 1 2020-21 686.40 617.60 44.37 2 2021-22 686.40 617.60 - 3 2022-23 720.80 648.80 250.00 4 2023-24 756.80 680.80 - 5 2024-25 795.20 716.00 29.02 Total 3645.6 3280.8 323.39 Govt of India implements a centrally sponsored "Flood Management and Border Areas Programme (FMBAP)" for providing central assistance to States for works related to flood control, anti-erosion, drainage development, anti-sea erosion, etc. during 2021-26. Total 111 Flood Management and Anti Erosion Projects under Flood Management and Border Areas Programme

(FMBAP) in Assam have been completed which give protection from flood to an area of around 7.36 Lakh Ha and protected a population of about 17.45 million from flood. Central share amounting to Rs.

1582.54 crore has been released to Assam till March, 2025.

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna (PMFBY) is implemented by the Govt of India which provides comprehensive risk insurance against crop damage from pre-sowing to post-harvest for crops and area notified by the concerned State Government. This scheme is voluntary for States as well as farmers. The State of Assam has opted to implement the scheme since its inception in 2016.

Year-wise details of claims paid and Farmer Applications benefitted under PMFBY in Assam during the last five years from 2020-21 to 2024-25 (as on 31.12.2025) are as under:

Year Paid Claims Farmer Applications (Rs. In Crore) Benefitted (lakh) 2020-21 188.04 3.07 2021-22 256.41 2.89 2022-23 20.09 0.26 2023-24 62.83 1.02 2024-25 90.47 1.38 *****