Untimely rains damage horticulture crops in Nellore

Nellore: Different types of horticulture crops at various places across the district were damaged due to untimely rains coupled with thunders and lightnings on Saturday night. With drought conditions for the past three years there has been depletion in ground water levels and farmers incurred losses. Now unseasonal rains with gales cause damage to their farm lands.

Sudden rainfall coupled with highspeed gales affected horticulture crops in many mandals like SR Puram, Udayagiri, Marripadu, Atmakuru, Anantasagaram, Vinjamuru, Venkatagiri, Kondapuram, Jaladanki, Duttaluru, Kaluvayi, AS Pet, Podalakuru, Sangam, Rapur, Chejarla, Muthukuru, Alluru, Kodavaluru, Manubolu, Kaligiri, Dakkili, Ozili and Naidupet.

The state government announced all 46 mandals as drought prone areas and farmers have sown paddy and other crops under wells and small water bodies. But water supply was restricted to only 3 lakh acres.

Many farmers in upland mandals preferred horticulture this year for some kind of livelihood. They had developed mango, sweet Lemon, acid lemon and other crops and they were damaged on Saturday due to sudden rains and winds. In Atmakur, Vinjamuru, Sangam, AS Pet and other mandals, farmers stocked paddy crop in the fields and on roads for curing after harvest and they also get damaged.

Officials say 80 pc harvesting completed in the district and are collecting details of actual losses due to unseasonal rains.

In many villages, electric cables and transformers were damaged. One person died due to lightning at Ponguru in Marripadu mandal. S Chinnaiah (46) was in agriculture fields and he died on the spot as lightning struck him. In the same mandal, farmers of Tikkavaram village also lost Rs. 1 lakh worth sheep units due to lightning in the fields.