Warangal: No relief from rain fury

Warangal : The ongoing unseasonal rains, hailstorms, and high winds continue to shatter the hopes of farmers in the erstwhile Warangal district. It was a season of double whammy for the farmers. Rains coupled with hailstorms and high winds not only flattened the standing crops but also drenched the paddy shifted to the procurement centres. Farmers also suffered a huge loss with the rains washing away the produce harvested on kallalu (drying platforms).

On the other hand, several farmers complain that they have been waiting with their produce at the procurement centre for the officials to commence purchase. “The paddy got soaked in the rainwater after harvesting. The entire produce was damaged in the rainwater as the government didn’t start purchasing,” Guguloth Arun Naik of Jairam Thanda under Raiparthy mandal. Already we were expecting a low yield due to pest attacks, he added. This apart, the input costs increased to phenomenal heights in this rabi, he said.

S Mallikarjun of Adavi Rangapur under Duggondi mandal said that he lost entire maize crop due to untimely rains and hailstorm. “Even though the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had visited our village in the last week of March and announced Rs 10,000 per acre compensation, we haven’t got any relief from the government. In fact, we have been waiting for the relief announced last year,” Mallikarjun said.

All India Kisan Federation Telangana general secretary Peddarapu Ramesh demanded the government to start purchasing paddy with immediate effect. He said that the government had set up 191 paddy procurement centres in Warangal district but none of them commenced paddy purchase.

At several places in Hanumakonda and Mulugu districts, paddy that was dried up on roads was washed away due to sudden cloudburst on Sunday night and Monday morning. Meanwhile, Devaruppula mandal in Jangaon district recorded the highest rainfall of 11.08 cm in the State on Monday.