Fully access crop loss, says Farmers’ association

According to the initial estimate of the agricultural department officials, 9,468 hectares of crops, including paddy were damaged in seven districts but the actual damages much more extensive said the farmers’ association president V Subramanian in a statement.

“The cyclone has damaged crops in Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, Villupuram, Tiruvannamalai, Cuddalore, Tiruvallur, Vellore, Ranipet and Kallakurichi. Paddy which were ready for harvest are wilted and submerged in water. Water stagnates in sorghum and manila cultivated fields. In some areas the banana and the sugarcane crops have been uprooted,” he said. According to the association’s information, paddy up to 6,000 acres in Chengalpattu, 1,500 acres in Kanchi and 5,000 acres in Villupuram have been submerged. Nearly 30,000 acres in Tiruvannamalai are submerged.