Sudden strong winds and hailstorms have caused serious damage to fruit orchards in Nakrekal mandal, Nalgonda. On Sunday evening, powerful gusts of wind uprooted many large mango trees and broke lemon trees that were nearly ready for harvest. Farmers were left heartbroken as their crops were destroyed.
The worst-hit areas include the villages of Ogodu, Palem, Tekulagudem, Nadigudem, Vallabapuram, Nomula, and Kadaparthi. In some places, up to 50 trees per acre were damaged. Out of 500 acres of lemon orchards in these villages, trees on about 200 acres were destroyed.
Mango orchards were also affected, with about 10 acres of trees damaged, some of them large and mature. Horticulture officials reported that 100 out of 150 farmers in the area suffered losses due to the storm.
On Monday, Praveen, the Horticulture Cluster Officer of Nakrekal, visited the orchards to assess the damage. He collected information about the affected farmers to help plan support or relief efforts.
