ONGOLE/GUNTUR: The intensity of drought in Prakasam district is very severe and realising the gravity of the situation, the state government has declared 38 of the 56 mandals as drought hit for this Kharif season.
Agriculture officials are predicting an alltime low production of all the crops in the district as a huge number of mandals are reeling under severe drought with deficit rainfall. The West Prakasam area, where farmers mostly depend on rainfall for cultivation, was hardly hit during the Khariff season. The total cultivating area in the district is 2.5 lakh hectares and the major crops cultivated are chilli, cotton and papaya. Speaking to Express, Vurri Hanumanth Rao, a farmer from Boyapalli in Yerragondapalem mandal, said that he cultivated papaya in 4 acres by investing `1.2 lakh but due to dry spell the total crop dried up. Rao said he borrowed `4.5 lakh in past three years at an exorbitant 96 per cent rate of interest. As there is no hope of a yield and getting the investment back, he is frustrated with pressure from moneylenders increasing for repayment of the loans. The normal rainfall in Prakasam district is 871.5 mm but this time there is a deficit as the district has received only 515 mm rain.Guntur is in no better condition with 11 of 57 mandals being declared droughthit.
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