Enumerate crop loss: Naidu

​Vijayawada: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday asked the district Collectors and officials to begin enumeration of the crop losses due to floods in their respective districts. Speaking to the district Collectors and other officials through teleconference from his river bank residence at Undavalli, Naidu directed the Collectors to gear up the agriculture and allied sectors officials to begin enumeration and assessment of the crop loss.

He told the officials that the farmers in the Prakasam and Guntur districts have lost their standing crops due to the floods in the last three days. While directing the officials to release the pending input subsidy for the farmers in these districts, he asked them to keep the input subsidy ready for the next crop for these farmers even before completing the enumeration.

The CM said the Pulichintala Project has 21 tmcft of water available and was expecting another 5 tmcft in the next couple of days due to heavy rains upstream. He asked the officials to prepare an action plan to make better use of this available water to save the standing crops. He also directed the officials to advise the farmers to go for dry crops instead of paddy as the water would be limited. He also advised the officials to encourage farmers of Guntur and Prakasam districts to go for pulses.

Chandrababu Naidu recalled the appreciation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the State on soil test. He said that the soil test system being implemented in the State has become a model for the rest of the country.

He also wanted the officials to make use of the rain guns available with the government for wetting of the new crops. The Chief Minister also cautioned the officials on the possible spread of seasonal diseases due to floods and rains. He wanted them to make use of the technology to keep a check on the health and sanitation situations in the districts.