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Vijayawada: For the first time, Andhra Pradesh would use satellite imagery and technological data in severely affected districts like Konaseema, Kakinada and Nellore to re-verify and validate the crop loss entries made at field level. This would ensure accuracy and transparency to the collected data. In the aftermath of Montha, the state government ordered enumeration of damage or loss to the agriculture and horticulture crops across districts by deploying teams of enumerators beginning from Thursday even as the floodwater stagnated in the fields was receding. Agriculture special chief secretary Buditi Rajasekhar held a review meeting with district collectors and heads of agriculture and allied departments here on Thursday to discuss the guidelines issued for enumeration of crop damage. The chief minister had issued these guidelines. Accordingly, there is no requirement to upload geo-coordinates and field-level photographs in the process of enumeration. The farmers registered in ‘e-Crop’ would be considered as actual cultivators eligible for entry for compensation for crop damages. Details of crop damages would be entered in the application called Andhra Pradesh Agriculture Information and Management System. The satellite data, rainfall and wind speed analysis would validate the entries made in the system, mainly in the heavily inundated districts. Compensation would be provided only if the crops that suffered more than 33% damage, suffered sand cast and soil erosion of the lands. Under the influence of Montha, crops suffered around 70 per cent damage mainly in paddy, in districts like Konaseema, Kakinada and Nellore. The normal procedure of waiting for water to recede from the inundated fields is not necessary for the enumeration. Officials would determine the crop condition and the possibility of recovery based on its growth state and expeditiously record the survey on crop damage. Senior agriculture official Rajasekhar has sought usage of e-Crop data such as sowing date, growth stage, extent of land parcel, survey number and other details for enumeration by the district-level teams. Agriculture director Manazir Jeelani Samoon said t technical data like wind speed, rainfall data, satellite images and information from the IMD would be consolidated. With the help of APAIMS technology of VASSAR Labs, the scientific data would be integrated with field-level assessments to cross-verify the field staff observations, for providing relief to the affected farmers.
