Rayalaseema Reeling Under Severe Drought
1.85 lakh hectares of crops damaged in Kurnool alone Crop losses in other Rayalaseema districts estimated to be higher Collectors submit proposals to government for drought relief
Kurnool: Severe drought conditions have pushed farmers across Rayalaseema into distress, with thousands of acres of standing crops withering due to an acute shortage of rainfall.
This is resulting in crop losses worth hundreds of crores of rupees. Farmers say they have not experienced such a prolonged dry spell in the last 25 years.
Despite the formation of cyclone-related weather systems, the districts of Kurnool, Nandyal, Kadapa and Anantapur received little or no rainfall. Crops have dried up, groundwater levels have depleted and lakhs of farmers are struggling to cope with the unprecedented situation.
When the central drought assessment team toured the Rayalaseema districts, farmers appealed to them to recomend adequate compensation.
Farmers generally cultivate cotton, groundnut, maize, castor and red gram between June 1 and July 30. However, the crops suffered severe damage due to moisture stress during critical stages such as flowering, pod formation and grain development. Initial soil moisture available during sowing gradually depleted in the absence of subsequent rainfall, resulting in extensive crop losses.
Latest estimates indicate that nearly 1.85 lakh farmers have been affected in Kurnool district alone, with crops damaged across more than 1.68 lakh hectares. Nandyal district reported crop losses in around 1.64 lakh hectares, while Kadapa suffered damage across 1.49 lakh hectares, with crops failing just before the harvesting stage.
Kurnool collector A Siri said, "We have submitted details of the damage to agriculture and the estimated losses to the state and central governments. Crop losses in Kurnool district alone are at more than Rs 441 crore. We sought Rs 233.23 crore from the state disaster response fund and Rs 144.46 crore from the national disaster response fund.”
While Kurnool has 15 drought-affected mandals, Nandyal has 26 and Kadapa 15. Officials estimate that crop losses in each of these districts could exceed Rs 400 crore. More than six lakh farmers in these districts face the brunt of the present drought.
K Hanumanthu, a farmer from Peravali in Kurnool district, said his entire seven-acre field with maize crop has dried up. "I have never seen such a severe drought. My maize crop has completely withered, while the red gram and groundnut crops have also been damaged. There is no water to save the standing crops."
The drought assessment team is also learnt to have estimated crop losses across nearly four lakh hectares in Anantapur and Sri Sathya Sai districts. The combined losses in these two districts exceeded Rs 550 crore.
Red gram, maize and groundnut are among the major crops that suffered extensive damage across the five Rayalaseema districts. Farmers are awaiting the compensation from state and central governments based on the assessment reports submitted by the district collectors and teams of officials.
