Central panel tours Kadapa district

Kadapa: A 3-member inter-ministerial team visited the district on Wednesday to assess damaged roads and culverts and to estimate crop loss. Roads and culverts were damaged, and farmers suffered crop loss due to rains in October 2017.

The Central team comprising Vivek Bharadwaj, Joint Home Secretary; B K Srivastava, Director of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Ministry and NHAI official S K Singh have inspected paddy and horticulture crops, roads and culverts at various places in the district. Later, the members of the Central team have interacted with the farmers at Tangutur village in Rajupalem mandal.

A farmer, Mastan Chinna Narasimhulu, has explained to the team members that their crops were destroyed as flood water entered the farm fields when Kundu river was in spate. He brought to the notice of the panel members that he did not get an insurance amount for his commercial crop. He also informed the Central team that they did not get support price for their produce.

Speaking on the occasion, B K Srivastava said that every acre of crop is eligible for securing insurance under the Prime Minister Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY). He stated, recently, the Central government has reduced the insurance premium amount in the interest of farmers. The official said that his team would submit a detailed report to the Centre over crop loss occurred in Kadapa district.

He directed the farmers to discuss support price issue with the Collector. Deputy Director of Horticulture Prasad, Panchayat Raj SE Narasimha Reddy, Joint Director of Agriculture Tagore Naik, Joint Director of Animal Husbandry Vijaya Kumar, DRO Obanna and others were present.