Anantapur: Incessant rains cause enormous losses to groundnut farmers

Anantapur: Around 33 per cent of 5 lakh hectares of groundnut crop had been damaged by incessant rains that lashed the district between July and September. Excess rainfall had been recorded in the past three months resulting in damage to number of crops including groundnut, cotton, paddy, maize, ragi, jowar, castor, red gram, bajra, green gram and korra crops. 33 per cent of crop damage is a primary report as harvesting of groundnut and other crops are still in preliminary stage. A complete picture will emerge in another 10 days or so as a survey is presently on progress on the yield scenario of groundnut crop.

As one travels through the mandals, the first sight of any crop including groundnut is one of rosy picture as the plantations look green and lively giving a highly optimistic picture of crop yield but the farmers say that the external picture is different from internal and underground picture.

Lokesh, a young farmer of Raptadu mandal, says that the groundnut crop yield is very low and the saddest part is that the crop insurance being climate-based does not compensate for yield loss. The insurance is applicable only when monsoon fails and not when crop yield is affected by excessive rainfall resulting in damage to groundnut or when it gets rotten by excessive rainwater. Already an impression of good rainfall and great harvest is created and insurance companies will now have no role to play, says leaders of farmers' welfare organisations. Veera Nagamma, a woman farmer cultivating groundnut in 3 acres of land in Kalyandurgam mandal, says the government should step in to come to rescue of groundnut farmers whose crop suffered damage including poor yield. As per the preliminary report, 3,948 farmers have been affected.

These farmers crop in 5,011 hectares have been damaged but the actual crop scenario will be known in a fortnight as the study is in progress. Assistant director Vidhyavathi told The Hans India that the preliminary report had already been sent to Commissioner of Agriculture and the government will take a view on the real picture only after a comprehensive report is prepared. Farmers unions are of view that climate based insurance was not suitable for district as it is either a victim of deficit or excess rainfall. Unfortunately, the Centre too exempted grou­nd­nut crop from fasal bhima scheme.