Machilipatnam (Krishna district): AndhraPradesh Congress Committee (APCC) Chief YS Sharmila Reddy on Saturday visited the cyclone-affected areas of Bantumilli mandal in Pedana constituency and interacted with farmers who suffered heavy crop losses due to Cyclone Montha. She demanded a reassessment of the crop damage and urged the coalition government to compensate farmers with Rs.25,000 per acre.

Speaking to the media, Sharmila urged the Centre to declare Cyclone Montha impact as a national disaster. She expressed deep concern and said that the cyclone had wreaked havoc on farmers who were already burdened with debts. “The state government is trying to play down the massive crop damage,” she said, questioning Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s intentions behind reporting minimal losses.

Sharmila said the government’s claim of Rs.800 crore loss in agriculture was “completely unrealistic,” asserting that the Congress party’s assessment revealed that crops nearly 20 lakh to 22 lakh acre were damaged across the state. They include 13 lakh acre paddy, 3 lakh acre cotton, 1.5 lakh acre groundnut and 2.5 lakh acre sorghum — worth Rs 20,000 crore, she added.

Criticising both the state and Central governments, she said, “Prime Minister Modi has ignored Andhra’s problems and cheated the state of its rights, while the state government continues to neglect the farming community.”

She also condemned the lack of a free crop insurance scheme, noting that only 20 lakh of 80 lakh farmers are covered and that many are unable to afford premiums.

She also expressed grief over the death of nine devotees in the Kasibugga temple stampede in Srikakulam district and conveyed condolences to the bereaved families, urging the government to ensure adequate support and preventive measures.