Incessant rains damage paddy in Srikakulam

Srikakulam: Incessant rains are causing huge damage to paddy in the district. Relentless rainfall has been reported in the last three days across the district under the influence of the low pressure in the Bay of Bengal. Due to rains, harvested paddy heaps in the fields and grains kept at thrashing floors were damaged. Farmers are worried about the effect of the quality of paddy grains due to current unseasonal rains. Paddy crop was cultivated in 4.85 lakh acre across the district during kharif season.

Due to adverse climate, initially paddy cultivation works were delayed for about one month and later on too, deficit and scanty rainfall caused difficulties to paddy cultivation. Finally, at the harvesting stage, unseasonal rains are damaging paddy crop considerably in the district. Due to continuous rainfall for more than three days, paddy heaps and grain kept in the fields and thrashing floors was damaged partially even though the farmers are making efforts to protect the produce by covering it with tarpaulins, etc.,

Farmers are not interested in using facilities provided by the district administration at tahsildar’s office at mandal headquarters to supply tarpaulin covers on payment of Rs 650 as security deposit for a single cover. The main reason is farmers are unable to reach the mandal headquarters to get covers leaving their paddy in the fields.