Paddy, chilli farmers in Krishna, NTR districts bear the brunt of Cyclone Mandous

CPI leader K. Ramakrishna urges the Chief Minister to compensate the farmers for crop loss at the earliest

A farmer checking the paddy crop damaged by the gales under the influence of Cyclone Mandous at Tadigadapa near Vijayawada.  | Photo Credit: G.N. RAO

Paddy stocks have been damaged due to heavy rains triggered by Cyclone Mandous in in Krishna and NTR districts in the last two days.

Ready-to-harvest crops and stocks bore the brunt of the rain. Farmers said that harvested paddy kept in the open for drying at Ghantasala, Vijayawada Rural, Avanigadda, Tiruvuru, Mopidevi and other mandals had been damaged.

Chilli crop in some upland areas in NTR district have also been damaged, farmers said.

Meanwhile, CPI State Secretary K. Ramakrishna said that Cyclone Mandous had wrecked a havoc in Tirupati, Chittoor, Nellore, Annamayya, Prakasam and Kadapa districts.

Paddy and horticulture crops have been washed away in thousands of acres, he said.

In a letter to Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on December 11 (Sunday), Mr. Ramakrishna urged the government to take measures to prevent human and property loss due to the cyclone.

He appealed to the Chief Minister to ensure that the crop loss was enumerated and farmers were compensated at the earliest.