Southern States - Andhra Pradesh   

Successive crop failures force farmers to migrate to cities

By Our Staff Reporter

SRIKAKULAM Feb. 26. Successive crop failures have forced farmers to shift to other crops and the youths in the village also have left to cities in search of work at Nandigam in Santa Sitaramapuram panchayat of Etcherla mandal in the district. The village is not channel-fed and farmers depend on rain to raise crops. Till three years ago they were growing paddy.

Basava Applasuri has three sons. He distributed his land among them and each one got 50 cents. Two of them had gone to Visakhapatnam in search of work and one of them got married. "But they keep coming now and then whenever there is an occasion,'' he says. He had stopped growing even ragi or groundnut but not mesta which can survive on little rain. His estimate is that about 100 able-bodied persons have left for places like Vizag and Gudivada for manual work. The village has a population of 329.

Another farmer says he has borrowed money from traders to grow casuarina and eucalyptus. After five years the trees are cut and sold. In spite of the strong views of experts against growing eucalyptus on either side of the road from the village to Etcherla on the national highway, there is a liberal growth of the saplings and trees. Though these are said to have a negative effect on groundwater there appears to be no alternative, says an official.

The village has no drinking water problem as of now. One of the borewells is being repaired as part of the Janmaboomi programme on Wednesday. The yield in another one has become less. A third borewell has been drilled near the school which is providing water. But groundwater levels are falling. "One borewell should suffice for a village of this size. From 30 ft to 40 ft in the past, one had to drill up to 200 ft for a borewell,'' says a revenue official.

The Janmabhoomi programme is a brief affair. Officials and local people's representatives come, sit together, decide on their work and leave. The teams are also hard pressed for time as they have to cover four to five panchayats in a day during the week-long programme. On Wednesday morning, deepening of tanks at Nandigam, Chinaravipalem and Balijapeta was sanctioned in Santa Sitaramapuram panchayat. The money sanctioned, about Rs 30,000 including the rice component, is hardly enough to totally repair the tank, says ZP Vice-Chairman, Ch Narayana Murthy. It requires at least Rs 50,000 to Rs 70,000. And the work now sanctioned may last a fortnight. "With the critical months still ahead, we may have to seek more funds to create more work,'' says Mr Narayana Murthy.

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