Agriculture crops damaged in 1,35,343 hectares in Guntur

Guntur: Nivar cyclone damaged agriculture crops in 1,35,343 hectares and horticulture gardens in 5500 hectares in 45 mandals in Guntur district. Enumeration teams submitted primary assessment reports on crop damage to the agriculture department to this effect.

According to primary assessment, paddy crop worst hit in Guntur district. Paddy is ready for thrashing in 1,33,000 hectares. The district administration has taken steps to flush out stagnant rainwater in the agriculture fields in 22 mandals through drains. The officials of agriculture, revenue and irrigation departments visited inundated agriculture fields and provided JCBs to the farmers and saved crops in 35000 hectares.

The enumeration teams will visit all the cyclone hit agriculture fields and assess the crop damage and submit a report to the government to pay input subsidy. The government will pay input subsidy to the farmers whose crops were damaged due to cyclone Nivar by December 31. The agriculture department will distribute black gram, green gram, Bengal gram seeds to the farmers on 80 percent subsidy. The agriculture teams are expecting that agriculture yield likely to come down during this season due to crop damage.

The agriculture department officials decided to supply paddy cutting machines to the farmers. The officials will collect details of discoloured and damaged paddy from the farmers and take steps to sell discoloured crop in the paddy purchasing centers. The district administration has set up 164 paddy purchasing centers which were connected with Rytu Bharosa Kendras in the district.

The agriculture department officials will make arrangements to sell discoloured and damaged paddy. The officials have already given 5 to 10 percent relaxation to purchase damaged paddy. The district administration urged the farmers not to worry about crop damage and assured that discoloured paddy would be purchased.

District collector I Samuel Anand Kumar urged the farmers to sell paddy in the paddy purchasing center and not to sell to the middle men. For assistance and help, the farmers may contact 9491392717.