On a bike ride, Janagam collector visits farmers affected by heavy rains

In the wake of heavy rains that damaged crops, Janagam district Collector Rizwan Basha Sheikh personally visited affected villages on a bike to assess the situation and ensure immediate support for farmers, following instructions from Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.

The collector toured Narsingapuram and Edunuthal villages in Kodakandla Mandal and Mutharam village in Palakurthi Mandal, inspecting damage to paddy, cotton, and tomato crops. He held discussions with local farmers to understand their issues firsthand and instructed officials to provide immediate assistance.

He directed that all crop losses be accurately recorded in the Rythu Bharosa app and emphasized that compensation calculations should be completed quickly, following the CM’s orders.

With recent storm warnings in mind, the collector urged farmers to immediately transport harvested paddy to purchase centers. Fully wet or discolored grains should be sent directly to rice mills to prevent further losses. He instructed Panchayat secretaries, revenue officials, and agriculture department staff to coordinate closely in this effort.

Later, he visited the Tirumala Rice Mill in Narsingapuram and warned management against unnecessary deductions during paddy procurement. He stressed that wet paddy should be purchased immediately and moved to mills, with tarpaulins ready at all centers to protect crops from rain-related damage.

Challenges in handling wet paddy The heavy rainfall has made paddy wet, causing procurement centers to hesitate in accepting it. Millers have been reluctant to buy high-moisture paddy, sometimes rejecting it or applying unfair deductions. Malfunctioning weighing machines have further added to farmers’ grievances. Collector Rizwan Basha Sheikh has issued strict warnings to rice mill operators to ensure farmers are not shortchanged.