Sweet lemon farmers incurred huge crop losses
Due to Lack of proper rains coupled with drastic fall of groundwater levels the lives of the farmers growing sweet lemon turned pathetic.
Kadapa: Due to Lack of proper rains coupled with drastic fall of groundwater levels the lives of the farmers growing sweet lemon turned pathetic. With high hopes of expecting good rains during the last September, October months. Farmers have grown the sweet lemon in 14,000 acres in the district. Apart from about 8,000 acres are being cultivated only in the Mandals like Vemula, vempalli, Sihmadripuram, Pulivendula Mandals in Pulivendula constituency. Farmers invested Rs 50,000 per acre on the proposed crop.
But the poor performance of rains during peak September and October months September and October months sprinkled water on the hopes of farmers as fruit get discoloured and size of the fruit get reduced against its original size leads them to go untold misery.
" I have witnessed such bitter experience during my 15 years of Sweet Lemon cultivation. The situation seems to be turning more worsen this time comparatively last four years. Following the poor performance of rains and drastic fall of groundwater levels, there was maximum variation witnessing the size and colour of the fruit I forced to sell the produce at the cheaper rate". A. China Veeraiah of Vemula Mandal told Hans India.
"Groundwater levels were drastically come down to 15 to 20 meters. I have invested about 1lakh for setting bore. But failed to get even single drop of water even bore set up to 1500 meters depth. I have supplied the water to the plants through tankers. If the same situation continued for some more time there will be no option for sweet lemon to commit suicides" said B.Narapu Reddy of Pulivundula.
AP Rythu Sangam district president B.Dastagiri Reddy said farmers of the district facing hardship for securing water to the agriculture operations. The district administration is supplying water for 122 villages through the tankers against severe water problem witnessing 350 villages in the district. This year sweet lemon farmers occurring huge crop loss following lack of sufficient water. Even the situation getting worse day by day government least bothered over the issue" he said.
