Farmers drowning in sorrow

Farmers drowning in sorrow
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Farmers Drowning in Sorrow, Loss to the Farmers., Damaging the Crops. The untimely rain caused by the low-pressure in the Bay of Bengal has left the farmers in tears. Several thousands of acres were inundated due to the five-day long downpour damaging the crops and causing enormous loss to the farmers.

The untimely rain caused by the low-pressure in the Bay of Bengal has left the farmers in tears. Several thousands of acres were inundated due to the five-day long downpour damaging the crops and causing enormous loss to the farmers.
About 75,000 acres of maize crop was submerged in the limits of Srisailam Assembly constituency and the loss was estimated to be Rs. 10 crore.
Crops of paddy, maize and cotton were totally damaged in Srisailam, Atmakuru, Kothapalli, Velugodu and Bandi Atmakuru mandals. Mainly paddy was severely damaged in Atmakuru and Nandikotkuru agriculture sub-divisions.
Even before the Government had formulated a policy on the compensation payable to the farmers the local ruling party leaders started harassing the Revenue officials. They are stealthily warning the Revenue officials to face the transfer orders unless they record maximum crop loss to their followers.
A Revenue official has taken up this issue with the district officer regarding the threats of the local leaders.
Joint Director of Agriculture said that the mandal would be taken as a unit and crop loss would be considered only if fifty per cent of the crop was inundated.
The small and marginal farmers expressed concern over the decision of the district administration not to consider the loss after the yield was harvested and left it to dry.
Paddy in 2,305 hectares in Atmakuru division, 1410 hectares in Nandyala division and 1300 hectares in Bandi Atmakuru division was damaged.
In spite of the instructions from the district collector to prepare the estimated loss by 30th of this month, the officers have been participating in the tours of the political leaders. Only the Revenue Department has prepared the officials reports of loss so far.
The Revenue officials stated in the report that 38,138 acres in 14 mandals of Atmakuru, Nandikotkuru and Nandyala divisions were damaged and the loss was estimated at Rs. 300 crore. According to the reports, paddy in 14,850 acres, maize in 10,415 acres, groundnut in 3,792, cotton in 2,920 acres, jowar in 1,577 acres, Bengal gram in 1,380, tobacco in 20 acres, korra in 85 acres, sunflower in 575 acres, castor in 225 acres, red gram in 1,640 acres, black gram in 500 and green gram in 128 acres were damaged.
According to the established procedure, the village revenue officer (VRO), village secretary and Agriculture Department staff should visit the affected farms and record the loss basing on the passbook and survey number. However, the local leaders of the ruling party have been ruling the roost in the recording of the crop loss.
Meanwhile, some middlemen join the fray to collect money from the farmers on the promise that they would influence the survey team to inflate the crop loss.
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