Incessant rains for the past few days have resulted in crop damage in large areas in Medak district. As on Monday, agricultural officers have estimated that about 22,619 hectares of Kharif crop has been damaged due to heavy rains. Worst affected are cotton farmers with a crop damage to an extent of 11,387 hectares; 6,451 hectares of soya bean, 2,622 hectares of paddy, 597 hectares of maize and 1,350 hectares of red gram have been estimated to have been damaged. This number is only tentative and it could increase based on weather conditions for the next few days. Rains have not spared vegetable crops as well. Out of the 6,806 hectares of vegetable crop sown in Kharif by August, 2,572 hectares of crop has been damaged. High crop loss was seen in Jinnaram, Sangareddy, Kondapur, Narayankhed, Zaheerabad, Sadasivpet, Chinnakodur, Wargal, Gajwel and Mulugu mandals. Apart from the losses due to heavy rains, it has to be recalled that more than 50 per cent of paddy crop was not cultivated this Kharif due to deficit rains, leaving the crop wasted in nursery stage itself, without being transplanted. More than 50 per cent of maize crop (around 60,000 hectares) was already damaged in August due to deficient rains. Source - http://www.thehansindia.com