Farmers in Prakasam district who pray every year for good rains are now cursing their fate.
The drought-ridden district has seen deficient monsoons every other year. However, the monsoon this year was above normal, with the district getting 74.8% excess rainfall in the month of September alone, enabling farmers to grow crops in an extent of 5.38 lakh acres during Khariff.
However, they were in for a rude shock as the rains in the second week of October and the subsequent floods left most of the crops damaged.
Standing crops, including chilli, cotton, black gram, green gram and cow pea, in over 26,000 acres have been damaged, mostly in Markapur division.
Counting the losses, All India Kisan Sangarsh Coordination Committee district convener Chundri Ranga Rao said farmers in western Prakasam had just started a few rounds of plucking in his cotton field. The rains came at the most inopportune time, making it impossible to complete plucking of the ready-to-harvest crop.
Over 20,000 farmers in 19 mandals who had taken up cultivation of chilli, red gram, maize and sesame, are ruing their fate as the rains according to an assessment by the Andhra Pradesh Rythu Sangam (APRS) had caused a loss of ₹300 crore so far.
Productivity in paddy fields is likely to drop to 20 quintals per acre as against the normal 30 quintals. Farmers now have to spend three times more for removal of excessive weeds and increased pest attack following the heavy rains.
Expecting handsome returns in the wake of the spice crop’s price going northwards in global markets, chilli growers had spent at least ₹50,000 per acre so far. But the heavy rains had dashed all their hopes, explained APRS district secretary Vadde Hanuma Reddy.
Heavy rains and flash floods also left a trail of destruction in the district, damaging 224.35 km of roads,including a maximum of 148.25 km of road surface in Ongole R&B division. The damage to roads was about 35 km in Kanigiri division and another 37.3 km, according to R&B Superintending Engineer P. Maheswar Reddy.
Installations relating to government property including power and irrigation departments were also badly damaged, requiring ₹14.13 crore for temporary repairs and ₹103.28 crore for carrying out permanent repairs, said District Revenue Officer K. Vinayakam.
With 548.3 mm rainfall, the district has received 41.2% excess rainfall so far.
