For as soon as, Prakasam has had enough rain

Farmers in Prakasam district who pray yearly for good rains at the moment are cursing their destiny.

The drought-ridden district has seen poor monsoons each different yr. However, the monsoon this yr was above regular, with the district getting 74.8% extra rainfall within the month of September alone, enabling farmers to develop crops in an extent of 5.38 lakh acres throughout Khariff.

However, they had been in for a impolite shock because the rains within the second week of October and the following floods left a lot of the crops broken.

Standing crops, together with chilli, cotton, black gram, inexperienced gram and cow pea, in over 26,000 acres have been broken, largely in Markapur division.

Counting the losses, All India Kisan Sangarsh Coordination Committee district convener Chundri Ranga Rao mentioned farmers in western Prakasam had simply began just a few rounds of plucking in his cotton discipline. The rains got here on the most inopportune time, making it unattainable to finish plucking of the ready-to-harvest crop.

Over 20,000 farmers in 19 mandals who had taken up cultivation of chilli, crimson gram, maize and sesame, are ruing their destiny because the rains in keeping with an evaluation by the Andhra Pradesh Rythu Sangam (APRS) had precipitated a lack of ₹300 crore to date.

Productivity in paddy fields is more likely to drop to twenty quintals per acre as in opposition to the traditional 30 quintals. Farmers now should spend thrice extra for elimination of extreme weeds and elevated pest assault following the heavy rains.

Expecting good-looking returns within the wake of the spice crop’s value going northwards in international markets, chilli growers had spent a minimum of ₹50,000 per acre to date. But the heavy rains had dashed all their hopes, defined APRS district secretary Vadde Hanuma Reddy.

Heavy rains and flash floods additionally left a path of destruction within the district, damaging 224.35 km of roads,together with a most of 148.25 km of street floor in Ongole R&B division. The injury to roads was about 35 km in Kanigiri division and one other 37.3 km, in keeping with R&B Superintending Engineer P. Maheswar Reddy.

Installations referring to authorities property together with energy and irrigation departments had been additionally badly broken, requiring ₹14.13 crore for momentary repairs and ₹103.28 crore for finishing up everlasting repairs, mentioned District Revenue Officer {K}. Vinayakam.

With 548.3 mm rainfall, the district has obtained 41.2% extra rainfall to date.