Krishna district received 73.34 cm of rain on a single day on Tuesday, sending jitters among the farming community over the fate of their crop even as their brethren in Guntur and Prakasam district suffered due to overflowing rivulets.
The farmers are worried over the damage that will be caused by the clammy weather prevalent for a couple of days to their crop that is either standing or left in the field after being harvested in Krishna district.
Fortunately, it was the upland mandals that received more rain. With Penamalur receiving the maximum of 81.2 mm , Gannavaram received 72 mm, Musunuru 51.2 mm, Tiruruvur 42.2 mm, Nuzvid 39.6 mm, Jaggaiahpet and Chatrai 38.4 mm, Veerulapadu 35.6 mm, and Ibrabimpatnam 33.2 mm. Mopidevi was the only delta mandal that received 37.2 mm.
Mango farmers sighed with relief because flowering had not yet started this year. Additional Director of Horticulture P.M. Subhani told The Hindu that only 30 per cent flowering had set in.
‘Spray pesticide'
Progressive farmer Chalasani Dutt said there was no damage to the flowering, but the rain was an invitation for pests.
Mr. Subhani said farmers should spray pesticide to prevent the onset of Anthracnose, a pest that caused severe losses. Thanks to the Thane cyclone, farmers in delta had not yet started paddy threshing on a full scale.
“The fields are either wet or water-logged. The harvested paddy is still in stacks in the fields. The farmers are waiting for the fields to dry. If they start threshing now, they will have a major problem bringing the paddy to the main road,” Kisan Services Organisation district general secretary P.S.R. Das said.
