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Informist, Tuesday, Sep 3, 2024

 

By J. Navya Sruthi

 

MUMBAI – Heavy rainfall in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh since Friday is proving to be a threat to the standing kharif crops in the state. The situation is particularly bad in key chilli-growing districts like NTR, Bapatla, Guntur, and Krishna due to the overflowing of the Krishna River, state government officials said.

 

According to a preliminary crop damage report prepared by the state's horticulture department and shared with Informist, 15,109 ha of horticulture crops have been affected by the heavy rainfall. Chilli, vegetables, banana, betel vine, papaya, flowers, oil palm, turmeric and guava are the main crops affected, the report showed. "Major districts in which horticulture crops were affected are Guntur, Krishna, NTR, Bapatla, and Palnadu," according to the report.

 

The threat arises directly due to severe inundation as there are no chances to drain excess water from fields in two to three days due to floods caused by overflow of the Krishna River, said K. Balaji Naik, additional director in the state horticulture department. Among the damaged crops, the share of the chilli crop is nearly 35%. 

 

Over 5,200 ha under chilli crop has been damaged so far in the state, of which 4,656 ha was damaged in the NTR district alone, the official data showed. Over 250 ha of chilli crop has been damaged in Palnadu district. More than 7,500 chilli farmers have been affected so far, the data showed.    

 

The current chilli crop in the state is just two to three months old and was transplanted from nurseries, Naik said. The affected area will now need to be replanted, which is expected to delay the crop by two to three months, he said. Chilli is a 150-180-day-long crop grown both during the kharif and the rabi seasons. As of today, the area under chilli is 119,281 ha in the state, while the crop was sown over 607,440 ha in the previous year. 

 

Turmeric, which is also one of the important crops in these districts, has also suffered damage with more than 3,100 ha affected due to the current heavy rainfall and floods. Over 1,200 ha of the total damage was recorded in Bapatla district. More than 4,700 turmeric farmers have been affected so far, the data showed. As of today, the area under turmeric in the state is 15,482 ha. Last year, the crop was sown over 33,283 ha in the state. 

 

The total damage to the banana crop and other vegetables has been estimated at 3,122 ha and 2,131 ha, respectively, the data showed. More than 4,900 banana farmers and 3,700 vegetable farmers have been affected so far, as per the data. As of today, the area under the banana crop is 265,036 ha in the state, and vegetable acreage is 143,302 ha.

 

Andhra Pradesh has 1.82 mln ha for horticulture crops with an annual production of 36.7 mln tn, according to the state department's data. Under the State Disaster Response Fund norms, the horticulture department has estimated 337.6 mln rupees as an input subsidy to 27,477 farmers, data from the preliminary damage report showed.

 

As of Monday, the state received 42?ove normal rainfall at 537.6 mm from Jun 1, according to the India Meteorological Department. Guntur district recorded 79?ove normal rains at 808.4 mm during the southwest monsoon season. NTR, Krishna, Palnadu, and Bapatla districts have also received excess rainfall so far during the monsoon season, IMD data showed.  

 

Vijayawada, a city in Andhra Pradesh's Krishna district, resembles a river now, Naik said, adding that the intensity of these floods is more severe than the floods in 1903 and 2009, marking a new level of crisis for the area. More than 1.2 mln cusecs of water inflow has been recorded so far due to the lifting of the Prakasam Barrage gates, Naik said. 

 

According to media reports, the Krishna River saw historic floods in October 2009 and recorded a maximum water inflow of 1.1 mln cusecs. The NASA Earth Observatory mentioned in an article that on Oct 6, 2009, the Krishna River set a record in flood discharge at Prakasam Barrage, surpassing the previous record movement from 1903 when the river had no dams.  End

 

Edited by Saji George Titus

 

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