69,700 ha of crops in Krishna damaged

In the aftermath of the Michaung Cyclone, the Krishna district has witnessed substantial rainfall over the past three days, resulting in considerable agricultural losses. More than 69,700 hectares of crops, including paddy, maize, cotton, sugarcane, and others, have incurred damage within the district.
Under the guidance of Krishna District Collector P Raja Babu, the authorities of the Krishna District Agriculture Department have compiled a comprehensive report detailing the impact of the Michaung cyclone. This report has been promptly forwarded to the State government for necessary action.
Approximately 69,700 hectares of crops have suffered damage, with 68,392 hectares of paddy, 212 hectares of cotton, 162 hectares of maize, and 854 hectares of groundnut among the affected crops. The paddy cultivation has been severely impacted, causing distress among farmers who now face the second loss of their crops in the ongoing Kharif season.
Authorities have indicated that a thorough assessment of crop damage will be initiated once the rainwater recedes from the agricultural fields. The preliminary report highlights that 25 Mandals in the district were adversely affected by the cyclone. Paddy, in particular, bore the brunt of the cyclone, marking the second instance of farmers losing their crops during the Kharif season due to heavy rains.
Farmers in the combined Krishna district had commenced harvesting their paddy crops before the cyclone hit. They had chosen to dry the grains on roads, real estate venture plots, and other vacant spaces. Unfortunately, the Michaung cyclone brought incessant rainfall over the past two days, leading to the saturation of hundreds of tons of paddy grains. Additionally, numerous paddy crops across the district found themselves submerged in rainwater.
According to the preliminary report submitted to the state government by Krishna district authorities, 69,700 hectares of crops suffered damage. The heavy rains severely impacted Avanigadda, Nagayalanka, Koduru, Mopidevi, Challapalli, Vuyyuru, Pamidimukkala, Machilipatnam, Gannavaram, and other areas.
Within these Mandals, 68,392 hectares of paddy crops were damaged. However, the agricultural department authorities said that during the assessment of crop damage, only losses exceeding 33 per cent, including sand casting, would be taken into consideration. Besides, other crops such as groundnut, blackgram, maize, and cotton suffered damage in 854 hectares, 80 hectares, 162 hectares, and 212 hectares, respectively, due to the heavy rainfall.