Guntur: Rains cause widespread damage to paddy crop

Guntur: The incessant rains continuing for the last three days has caused widespread damage to crops, particularly of paddy, in the Guntur district.

According to officials, rainwater has inundated the paddy fields in over 59,000 acres in Kollipara, Kolluru, Bhattiprolu, Tenali, Tsunduru, Repalle and Duggirala mandals of Tenali revenue division in Guntur district.

Farmers are worried that if rains continue for more days their crops will be completely damaged and they would suffer huge losses. But there is no respite from rains for some more days. There are chances to continue in the coming five days.

According to the warning given by the Cyclone Warning Centre, Vizag, heavy rains likely to occur till November 24. The district administration directed the fishermen not to venture into the sea as a precautionary measure.

Joint Director of Agriculture, Guntur district, M Vijaya Bharati said, "rains during the last fifteen days have already damaged the paddy crop and the paddy crop is discoloured in some mandals in Tenali revenue division.".

A farmer T Rosaiah of Vetapalem in Tsundurmandal of Guntur district said he cultivated paddy in two acres. Due to continuous rains during the last 15 days, his paddy fields were damaged due to strong gales. Rain has already damaged the crop. "If the rain continues, we will suffer more losses. Due to crop damage, we will get inferior quality of yield and less yields," he said.

Meanwhile, Vijaya Bharati visited rain-hit agriculture fields in Tsunduru and Chebrolu mandals on Sunday and interacted with the farmers. She enquired about the crop damage.

Similarly, cotton and, black gram crops were damaged in some mandals. But loss due to heavy rain is meagre.

The district administration will set up teams with Agriculture, Horticulture, Revenue and Panchayat Raj departments to assess the crop damage caused by the heavy rains. According to norms, the farmers whose crops were damaged more than 33 percent will get input subsidy.