Gales and unseasonal rains damage paddy, maize produce in Mancherial

Unseasonal rains and gales hit Mancherial and Adilabad Tuesday evening, soaking paddy, maize, and jowar stocks at procurement centres and market yards. Farmers staged protests demanding compensation and procurement of wet grains, while power outages disrupted villages until restoration Wednesday morning

Mancherial/Adilabad: Gales coupled with unseasonal rains damaged paddy and maize stored to platforms and procurement centres in both Mancherial district and Adilabad districts on Tuesday evening.

Several parts of Mancherial district saw brief spells of rains accompanied by strong winds, affecting the paddy and maize in Dandepalli, Kasipet, Mandamarri, Naspur, Thandur and Bellampalli mandals. Farmers said that they registered losses due to the unexpected rains and gales. They urged officials to extend compensation by conducting surveys of crop damage.

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Similarly, jowar produce shifted to a market yard was soaked in showers in Sathnala mandal centre of Adilabad district. The growers staged a sit-in at the market yard demanding that the government procure the wet grains. They said that the produce was damaged due to delay in transporting the grains to a warehouse.

Meanwhile, electric poles were flattened due to gales, disrupting supply of power to several villages in Bellampalli, Mandamarri and Dandepalli mandals. People were forced to stay awake all night. Electricity was restored on Wednesday morning, bringing relief to the public. The showers, however, brought relief to the people from sweltering heatwave conditions.