Heavy rain brings misery to farmers

Growers in debt turn anxious as strong gales ravage agricultural and horticultural crops.

A large number of fully grown tomato plants and ridge gourd creepers were completely damaged after heavy rain, accompanied by gutsy wind and hailstorm, lashed Kasba hobli in the taluk on Tuesday.

The rain has also destroyed mango crop.

“There was no trace of rain on Tuesday, but by evening, there was heavy storm accompanied by rain. Haystack and tin sheet roofs of some houses were blown away. After the ten-minute downpour, mangoes fell on the ground,” said a mango grower here.

Mangoes in Srinivaspur, Panasamakanahalli, Kethaganahalli, Hebbata, Unikili, Chaldiganahalli and other surrounding areas of the Kasba hobli have been destroyed. Besides, other horticultural crops like jackfruit, tomato, beans and ridge gourd too have been destroyed by the hailstone. In some places, mango trees have been uprooted.

“Just a ten-minute downpour and my whole farm is destroyed. I had taken utmost care to grow Badami variety of mango this year. There was good yield too and I had expected best price. But everything is destroyed in the rain,” Gopanna, a mango grower from Unikili told Deccan Herald.

Loan problems

Veerappa Reddy of Halepet was in utter shock after his tomato farm was ravaged by the rain. He had sold three buffaloes and logs meant for the house construction besides raising a loan of Rs 1.50 lakh to grow tomato. “Last year, I had not invested anything. Yet, the crop was destroyed. But this year, I’m on streets now,” he rued.

The plight of Krishne Gowda, who had grown beans, was no different. Despite the low yield, he had expected good returns, as the price of beans has skyrocketed in the market. “But I’m not fortunate enough,” he said.

Mango growers who suffered losses due to rain were finding it difficult to find workers to pick mangoes on Wednesday.

“Even if we send these mangoes, they would not fetch any good money to us. They are not even worth for pickles,” said a mango grower.

Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha district unit president P R Suryanarayana has urged the government to provide immediate compensation to mango growers who suffered losses due to the rain.

In Chikkaballapur

Farmers in Yaluvahalli, Kuppahalli, Chadulapura and other places lost heavily due to the shower, that continued for more than an hour on Tuesday.

Crops on the brink of harvest were destroyed due to the thunderstorm. In many places the roofs of vegetable gardens outside houses were blown away. Beans, mango and jackfruit crops were severely affected.

Yaluvahalli N Ramesh, who spoke to Deccan Herald on the matter, said, “K Ramesh, a resident of Kuppahalli, had taken a loan and grown beans on his one-acre land. He had expecting a good yield, but the thunderstorm on Tuesday brought down the stone supports put up in the field, destroying the crop completely. He has lost crop worth at least Rs one and a half lakh. How is he to repay the loan now?”

He visited Kuppahalli and provided financial relief to K Ramesh. He also promised to speak to the district administration about providing crop relief from the government to farmers who have lost their crops.