A team of scientists from various agriculture research institutes, who inspected the inundated crops in the seven coastal districts, have advised the farmers to take up alternative crops within a month to offset the losses to some extent.
They said the crops were damaged extensively due to poor surface drainage system and weak canal bunds in the delta area and in Khammam and Warangal districts. Paddy, cotton, maize, chilli, tobacco, pulses, onion, and vegetable crops suffered maximum damage.
Following the requisition made by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) member M.V.S. Nagireddy, a team of six scientists headed by Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA) Director B. Venkateswarlu, Directorate of Rice Research B. Virakat Math, and Central Institute for Cotton Research (CICR) Joint Director O.M. Bambawale visited the districts in the State.
CRIDA principal scientist Y.G. Prasad told reporters that paddy crop was completely damaged in Tullur, Tadikonda, Mangalagiri, Prathipadu, Paruchur, Pedda Nandipadu, and Kakumanu mandals in Guntur and Prakasam districts.
Alternative crops
CICR scientist V. Chinna Babu Naik said cotton crop which had come to final picking stage got germinated on the plants. In many acres, cotton crop was damaged due to moisture and water logging for many days, he observed.
CRIDA senior scientist K. Venkateswara Rao advised farmers to sow bengal gram, maize, and vegetables within a month to recover from the losses. The three teams that visited the affected areas would submit a report to the Centre on the crop loss due to the calamity, he said.