Kakinada: East Godavari Joint Collector Kona Sasidhar said efforts were being made to ensure the rice millers purchase the paddy damaged in cyclonic rain at minimum support price (MRP) for making boiled rice.

Speaking to reporters on May 22 after inspecting the paddy affected by cyclonic rains in Patavala village of Thallarevu mandal, he said as against the expected rabi paddy yields of 7.50 lakh metric tonnes, already 90 percent paddy harvested had reached the rice mills.

But about 13,000 metric tonnes of paddy in 2400 hectares spread over to five mandals was affected by the rains. In order to ensure the rice millers to purchase the paddy affected by the rains, he said, joint teams of Revenue and Agricultural departments would tour the mandals supervising the operations.

If necessary each village would be tied up with a rice mill for this purpose and paddy quality norms would be relaxed. He assured the farmers not to have any apprehensions about disposal of their paddy.

East Godavari district collector M Ravichandra said paddy crop in 448 hectares was damaged and 123 houses were razed to ground another 75 houses partially affected owing to Laila cyclone.

He told that electricity supply remain uninterrupted all over the district though seven electric poles were uprooted and one transformer was damaged. According to reports reaching till evening, he said, there were only two deaths and another person 3 missing.