Flood-Hit Farmers Sowing Chana, Redgram Afresh

 Adilabad: Farmers, after losing standing crops due to the recent floods, are making fresh investments and sowing redgram and chana in their fields that were inundated by flood waters on the banks of the river Penganga.

Farmers purchased water for Rs 5,000-Rs 7,000 per acre from neighbouring Bedoda village in Bela mandal.

Farmers said they had invested nearly Rs 25,000 per acre on the cotton crop which was washed away. Many farmers were seen removing damaged cotton crops and preparing the soil for sowing fresh redgram.

Nagpure Milind, a cotton farmer of Sangdi of Bela mandal, said he had shifted to chana. The cotton would have been ready for harvest in a month, he said. Balerao Sachin of Bedoda of Bela mandal was sowing chana and redgram over five acres each.

Meanwhile, the Adilabad district administration has prepared a report on the damage estimated to be worth Rs 465 crore. Standing crops including cotton, soya and redgram were damaged on 3,000 acres in Adilabad district. It is estimated that Rs 15 core is required to carry out temporary repair to bridges, roads and culverts.

Road and building road admeasuring 130 km, 26 culverts and 54 low-lying bridges were damaged due to floods in Adilabad district.

During his inspection of the damaged crop in Bela mandal, collector Rajarshi Shaw said efforts would be made to sanction agriculture wells to the farmers who do not have water sources.

The cotton crop was damaged in Sangidi, Bedoda, Guda, Maniyarpur, Kangarpur, Kogdur, Mangrud in Bela mandal and Pendalwada, Sanghi, Kauta, Anandpur, Kapri, Kamai, Pusai and Urmri villages in Jainad mandal.

The crop damage was high in Bela, Jainad mandals along the river Penganga which overflowed following heavy inflows from upstream in Maharashtra.