Agricultural crops spread across 4,61,194 hectares have been damaged in Andhra Pradesh due to cyclones ‘Arnab’ and ‘Murasu’, officials said on Tuesday.
The two cyclones also caused damage to horticultural crops across 29,960 hectares in the state.
State Agriculture Minister Kinjarapu Atchannaidu reviewed the damage to agricultural and horticultural crops during a teleconference with senior officials on Tuesday morning.
According to officials, Cyclone ‘Arnab’ damaged crops across 3,27,843 hectares in 15 districts, affecting 5,23,136 farmers. The affected area accounted for 30.05 per cent of the total 10,90,933 hectares under cultivation in these districts.
The cyclone resulted in an estimated production loss of 9,78,091 tonnes, causing financial losses of Rs 2,392.84 crore.
Dr B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema district was among the worst-affected areas, with 99.19 per cent of its cultivated land suffering damage. The losses affected 94,808 farmers and were estimated at Rs 348.88 crore.
Officials estimated the assistance required under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) at Rs 815.57 crore and Rs 714.96 crore, respectively, for the damage caused by Cyclone ‘Arnab’.
Cyclone ‘Murasu’, meanwhile, damaged crops across 1,33,351 hectares in nine districts, affecting 1,86,269 farmers. The damaged area accounted for 23.71 per cent of the total 5,62,445 hectares under cultivation in the affected districts.
The estimated production loss stood at 3,38,302 tonnes, with the financial damage pegged at Rs 816.53 crore. The estimated requirements under the SDRF and NDRF were Rs 321.64 crore and Rs 266.67 crore, respectively.
Officials also informed the minister that Cyclone ‘Arnab’ damaged 23,211.48 hectares of horticultural crops across 215 mandals and 1,310 villages in 15 districts, affecting 58,990 farmers.
Enumeration has been completed for 23,035.08 hectares, covering 58,630 farmers, which accounts for 99.24 per cent of the affected area. Assessment of the remaining 176.40 hectares, involving 360 farmers, is pending. Of the 15 districts, 14 have completed the enumeration process, while Krishna district has achieved 86.67 per cent progress.
The impact of Cyclone ‘Murasu’ resulted in damage to 6,748.52 hectares of horticultural crops across 106 mandals and 530 villages in eight districts, affecting 12,586 farmers.
So far, officials have completed enumeration for 2,211.73 hectares, or 32.77 per cent of the affected area, covering 3,392 farmers. Registration of the remaining 9,194 farmers, covering 4,536.79 hectares, is yet to be completed.
Reviewing the assessment process, Minister Atchannaidu directed officials to conduct a comprehensive field-level evaluation of the damage caused by both cyclones. He also asked them to identify district-wise details of the remaining affected crop area and farmers yet to be registered.
The minister stressed that the enumeration process should be expedited to ensure that no eligible farmer is left out of the damage assessment.
(With IANS inputs)
