Cotton, soya, and redgram lost on 35,000 acres; farmers seek relief
Adilabad: Crop damage caused by floods following heavy rains has been severe in Adilabad and Komaram Bheem Asifabad districts.
According to rough estimates, cotton and soya crops on 20,000 acres were damaged in Adilabad district, with the Adilabad Assembly constituency being the worst affected. In Bela, Jainad, and Bhoraj mandals along the banks of the Penganga river, cotton and soya fields were destroyed, while standing crops in Adilabad Rural mandal were inundated.
Balerao, a farmer from Bedoda village in Bela mandal, said his six acres of standing crops were washed away, resulting in heavy losses. “Many cotton and soya crops have been damaged across several villages in Bela and Jainad mandals. The government should assess the losses quickly and pay compensation of Rs 20,000 per acre,” he urged.
Meanwhile, backwaters of the Pranahita river inundated large tracts of farmland in Somini, Thikkapalli, Bandalguda, Koyapalli, Mogavelli, and Talai villages of Bejjur mandal, as well as Venkatrapet, Lonvelli, Bhorigaon, Tonkini, and Hudkili villages of Sirpur (T) mandal under the Sirpur (T) Assembly constituency. Here, standing crops, mainly cotton and redgram, on an estimated 15,000 acres were damaged.
Officials reported that crops were also destroyed in Wankidi, Asifabad, Kerameri, Narnoor, Gadiguda, Jainoor, and Lingapur mandals in the Asifabad Assembly constituency. Similar conditions prevailed in parts of Komaram Bheem Asifabad district, where overflowing streams and rivulets caused widespread inundation.
K. Shankar, a farmer from Nagapelli village in Bejjur mandal, said his three-acre cotton crop was submerged in the Pranahita backwaters. He appealed to the government to provide compensation for the losses.
