Rains damage crops in 6,000 acre

Anantapur-Sathya Sai: The twin districts experienced heavy rain even before weather officials forecasted rains from September 8 due to depression in Bay of Bengal. Locals and farmers fear of more damage to crops and dislocation of life in project areas if rains persisted.

Rains during past 3 days already resulted in crop damages worth Rs 3.5 crore to horticulture and agriculture commercial crops. In Parigi, Agali and Kuderu mandals crops in 500 acres suffered damages due to inundation. Crops also got damaged in 6,000 acres in Uravakonda, Peddavaduguru, Bommanahal and Kanekal in the twin districts. More than Rs 15 crore worth crops suffered damages. Groundnut, cotton, maize, sunflower, tomato, chillies and paddy crops suffered damages. In Anantapur district groundnut in 3,000 acres is damaged. Agriculture department sources revealed that the government has asked them to assess crop damage losses while there is no scope for claiming climate-based insurance despite heavy rains causing damage to standing crops. In all 26 mandals in twin districts including 100 villages bore the brunt of heavy rains suffering monetary loss by farmers. In Anantapur, horticulture crops in 3,000 acres in 17 mandals were affected by rains.