Rains cause damage to crops in Prakasam district

Rains cause damage to crops in Prakasam district January 12, 2012 ONGOLE. JAN Depression-based rains have damaged crops in the harvesting stage in Prakasam district. Depression-based rains have damaged crops in the harvesting stage in Prakasam district. The rain suddenly started on Tuesday night and continued on Wednesday. Tobacco, mango, Bengal gram, paddy, maize, millets, salt and other crops were damaged over 82,439 hectares in the district in the past 24 hours, said agriculture officials. Recently, the Thane cyclone related rains had damaged crops over 7,375 hectares and this rain completed the damage process. The highest rainfall of 80.4 mm was registered in Maturu mandal, followed by Kurichedu with 73.9 mm, Santamaglur with 57.4 mm, Marripudi 43.4 mm, Yaddanapudi with 41.8 mm. The other mandals received moderate rainfall. Mango, tobacco, cotton, paddy, sapota and other crops in Kandukur, Ulavapadu, Lingasa-mudram, Ponnalur and other southern mandals of the district – all at the harvesting stage, were totally damaged with the untimely rains. Salt production in Kothapatnam, Chinagan-jam, Nagulappadu, Tangu-tur and Singarayakonda was severely damaged and salt stocks were washed away in the rain water. Agriculture, horticulture and revenue officials have started enumeration in the rain affected mandals and primarily assess Rs.15,000 worth crop loss per acre. Farmers’ unions and organisations demand compensation to farmers who lost their harvests.