Hyderabad: In order to compensate for the crop loss to cyclone Gulab, Andhra Pradesh (AP) chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday disbursed Rs 22 crores into the bank accounts of 34,586 farmers.
Speaking on the occasion, chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy said, “62% of the population in the state depends on agriculture for their livelihood, if a farmer is in trouble the rural economy will be impacted drastically, yet no one cares for the farmer, we as a government will continue to take proactive steps to benefit the farmers of the state, and help them in every way we can.”
In a press statement, the AP government stated that the economic impact of cyclone Gulab that hit the AP and Odisha coasts was substantial, with much of it being borne by farmers. Gulab is a very unique cyclone as it made landfall in AP, crossed large parts of India, and moved out into the Arabian Sea over Maharashtra, and intensified again.
The bulk of the losses is estimated from agriculture, according to the AP government. Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts in state experienced maximum winds due to Gulab while East Godavari, West Godavari, Guntur, Krishna, Prakasam, Srikakulam, and Visakhapatnam districts saw floods.
As per the AP government, the crops to be cultivated were in their final stages in the state when Cyclone Gulab hit and due to heavy rain, standing crops fell. There was a lot of water stagnation because of which other than paddy, all crops, including vegetables that were in flowering stages, were damaged, the government said.
The government of AP claimed that it proactively took measures to reduce its impact.