Anantapur: Farmers incur losses as gales destroy fruit gardens

Anantapur: Several fruit gardens at different places across the district were destroyed by gales on Saturday and Sunday bringing heavy losses to the horticulture farmers.

A papaya farmer Basha of Korrapadu village invested about Rs 20 lakh and was expecting Rs 80 lakh from the harvest. But 90 percent of his papaya plantation was destroyed due to gales in two days. Basha had been raising papaya plantation in 5 acres of land and was reaping 300 tonnes per acre of the fruit. There are many farmers in the district who have incurred similar losses as their fruit gardens were destroyed.

Assistant director of Horticulture G Satish said to The Hans India' that many of the papaya plantations in the district suffered damage by the cyclonic winds.

Besides farmer Basha, more than 40 papaya farmers having plantation in about 50 hectares were severely affected. In addition, more than 500 farmers also suffered losses due to crop damages of acid lime, banana, betel vine and other plantations in 507 hectares in the district.