Drought-affected farmers in Nellore need over ₹13 crores of assistance

Drought-affected farmers in Nellore need over ₹13 crores of assistance

On Wednesday, Central team members interacted with drought-affected farmers in Gangireddypalem village of Nellore district.

On Wednesday morning, a team appointed by the central government arrived in Nellore to assess the district’s drought situation. They met with District Collector M. Hari Narayanan at the Collectorate’s S.R. Sankaran Conference Hall.

Mr. Narayanan told the media that affected farmers in the ten drought zones require ₹13.35 crore in assistance. He urged the Central team to provide financial assistance while informing them of the district’s severe drought conditions, which have resulted in crop loss and damage, cattle deaths, and a limited water supply.

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He stated that the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has declared Voletivaripalem, Kandukur, Lingasamudram, Sitaramapuram, Varikuntapadu, Kondapuram, Kaligiri, Duttalur, Marripadu, and Kaluvai mandals in the district to be ‘drought mandals’.

Crop Loss and Damage

Rainfall in the ten drought mandals is lower than normal, resulting in crop loss and damage. More than half of the crop in Sitaramapuram was lost, and the remaining nine mandals lost 30 to 40 percent of their crops. Nearly 7,156 farmers suffered crop damage, including paddy, groundnut, and millet, on over 9,053.21 hectares across ten mandals.

Mr. Narayanan requested an input subsidy of ₹8.49 crore to help drought-affected farmers. In Sitaramapuram, 148 farmers have lost their crops across 69 hectares, requiring an input subsidy of ₹9.25 lakh.

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Cattle deaths

According to the Animal Husbandry Department, over 7.42 lakh cattle and calf deaths have occurred in the district. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) can compensate 5,302 dead cattle with an estimated budget of ₹2.91 crore for animal feed and medicines across ten mandals.

Officials from the agriculture, irrigation, RWS, and animal husbandry departments informed team members about the losses in their respective fields. Following their visit, Mr. Narayanan requested that the team submit a report to the Union government for the district to receive funds.