Unseasonal rains play havoc with crops

Unseasonal rains play havoc with crops
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Estimates put the crop loss at Rs 100 crore in Khammam district which was lashed by unseasonal rains and hailstorm. Many crops, including corn, mango, paddy, papaya, chilli, and banana suffered heavy damage in the district due to heavy rains. 

Khammam: Estimates put the crop loss at Rs 100 crore in Khammam district which was lashed by unseasonal rains and hailstorm. Many crops, including corn, mango, paddy, papaya, chilli, and banana suffered heavy damage in the district due to heavy rains.

Paddy crop, which was ready for harvest, fell to ground. The unseasonal rains, accompanied by gales, wreaked havoc with mango orchards. Chilli farmers were the worst hit. The unseasonal rains left a trail of destruction.According to preliminary estimates, corn was damaged in 5,560 hectares, paddy in 6,120 acres, Mango in about 1,000 acres, papaya in about 0.80 hectares and banana plantations in 1,74 hectares.

The CPI-M district leader Bhukya Veerabhadram, after visiting the rain-hit areas demanded that the government enumerate damage to stand crop due to unseasonal rains. He also demanded that the government pay compensation to farmers at the rate of Rs 20,000 an acre. The government, he said, should open a purchasing centre for cron in the Konijerla mandal headquarters for the convenience of the farmers and purchase the produce through Markfed.

Meanwhile, the farmers at Nelakondapalli staged a road blockade protest at Minampalli on Khammam-Kodada national highway, demanding that the government pay compensation to the rain-hit farmers. They alleged that the officials did not visit their fields to enumerate loss to the standing crop.

The government directe the officials of Agriculture, Horticulture and Revenue Departments to enumerate loss to the standing crop. The government asked the officials to report loss which was above 33 per cent.The officials estimated that the damage to the standing crops was more in the Chintakani, Nelakondapalli, Konijerla, Thirumalayapalem, Bonakal, Kusumanchi, Madhira, Khammam Rural, Wyra, Raghunathapalem, Yerrupalem, Mudigonda mandals.

Joint Director of Agriculture Jhansi Kumari said as per preliminary estimates, the paddy crop was damaged in more than 6,000 hectares and corn crop in 5,500 hectares in the district.As per the guidelines issued by the government the compensation will be paid to the farmers after getting the final reports.

As much as Rs 13,500 will be paid per an acre in case of damaged paddy crop and Rs 8,333 per an acre in case of corn, she added.District Secretary of the Rythu Sangham Madineni Ramesh demanded that the government pay compensation to rain-hit farmers without delay.

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