Crops worth 29.4 cr damaged due to unseasonal rain 

Vijayawada: Various crops valued at an estimated cost of Rs 29.4 crore were damaged due to untimely rain and strong gales in the State on Tuesday.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Horticulture department of Andhra Pradesh has prepared preliminary estimates of the crop damage and submitted a report to the State government in this regard.

Especially the crops like mango, banana and maize were damaged fully while turmeric and sugarcane fields were partially damaged at various areas in the State.

The impact of the sudden untimely rain and gales was visibly high at various areas in districts of Srikakulam, Guntur, Krishna and West Godavari.
According to the officials, maize and paddy crops were damaged in 1,016 hectares in 11 mandals in the State.

As many as 370 hectares of crops were damaged in Srikakulam, Sarabujili in Srikakulam district, 347 hectares were damaged in Amaravati, Vatticherukuru, Vinukonda, Pedakakani, Rajupalem, Achampet and Shavalyapuram in Guntur district.

Apart from this crops in 200 hectares were damaged at Jangareddigudem in West Godavari district and 100 acres were damaged in Vijayawada rural mandal in Krishna district.

As per the reports, the damaged crops are 611 hectares of maize, 357 hectares of paddy and 48.06 hectares of jowar. The officials said that totally 1,976 metric tonnes of crops worth Rs 294 lakh were damaged due to rains and gales.

The officials said that various crops in 9,750 hectares worth Rs 150 crore were damaged up to April 30 in the current season due to adverse weather conditions including rains and gales.

However, mango crop was damaged in two villages in Krishna district, said Horticulture department assistant director K Ajay Babu.