Hyderabad: Unseasonal rains and hailstorms in several districts in the last one week damaged crops over nearly 5 lakh acres, as per preliminary estimates submitted by district collectors to the state government.
Undivided Warangal, Nalgonda, Medak and Karimnagar districts bore the brunt of the rain.
The rain also damaged paddy stocks lying in government procurement centres due to lack of tarpaulin covers in market yards.
Farmers on Tuesday held protests in several parts on the state demanding that the government purchase the rain-drenched paddy. Meanwhile, farmers in undivided Khammam, Karimangar and Warangal districts expressed anger at not receiving the Rs 10,000 per acre compensation announced by Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao after the surprise heavy rains in March.
With weather officials predicting rains and hailstorms for three more days, the government asked collectors to submit a comprehensive report on crop loss after rains subside. Agriculture department officials were instructed to conduct field-level surveys, and civil supplies officials were directed to submit reports on the quantity of paddy stocks swamped by rain.
The collectors said that 60,000 acres were damaged in Jagtial district, 55,000 acres in Karimnagar district, 7,000 acres in Sircilla district and 25,000 acres in Peddapalli district.
In undivided Warangal district, crops in 1.53 lakh acres were damaged and in undivided Medak district, 1.10 lakh acres. In undivided Nalgonda district, it was 55,000 acres.
In March, the CM had announced compensation of Rs 10,000 per acre to farmers including tenant farmers who suffered crop damage. He announced Rs 228 crore compensation after officials informed that crops over 2.28 lakh acres were damaged in Khammam, Warangal and Karimnagar districts.
The officials after excluded 77,000 acres. With this the government reduced the compensation to Rs 151 crore to be paid for crop damage in 1.51 lakh acres belonging to 1,30,998 farmers. A majority of the farmers are yet to receive the compensation. The farmers are also angry at the government for considering compensation to only those farmers who suffer crop loss of 33 per cent and above in their agriculture fields.
