Reach out to farmers hit by hailstorms: Harish Rao

Hyderabad: BRS leader and MLA T Harish Rao on Tuesday demanded that State government immediately reach out to farmers who suffered extensive crop losses due to untimely rains in several districts in the State.

Appealing to the government on ‘X’ to extend help to the affected farmers, he said hailstorms had wreaked havoc on paddy, maize and sorghum crops. Even horticultural crops, including papaya and mango, were also damaged in a big way in the districts of Adilabad, Nizamabad, Kamareddy, Karimnagar, Rajanna Sircilla, Medak, Siddipet and Rangareddy.

He wanted the Congress government to rise to the occasion and stand by the farming community. The government should take up immediate enumeration of the crop losses and ensure payment of compensation of Rs.10,000 per acre.

He wondered why the government did not respond to the situation even as the rains continued to damage the crops for the last two to three days. When untimely rains caused crop losses in a big way last year, the then Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao had visited the affected areas on a stock taking mission immediately. He recalled that Chandrashekhar Rao had ordered a payment of Rs.10,000 per acre as compensation for the affected farmers on the spot.