Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada   

Small-time farmers take to fishing

K.N. Murali Sankar

More people entering the fray with nets and fishing rods

Vijayawada: "Fresh catch sir, just Rs. 20 a kg. You can even bargain." This offer came from B. Srinivasa Rao, a tenant farmer in Challapalli. While Rao was using a net, his two children - aged nine and seven respectively - were using fishing rods to catch fish in fields near the Challapalli Fort.

He was one among a dozen farmers-turned-fishermen, who were busy fishing and selling the stock on the spot.

Vehicles were forced to slow down at the road stretch, where rainwater stagnated at a height of five feet. Making better use of the opportunity, fish-catchers swarmed the place and forced the travellers to buy.

Major activity

Farm fields stretched in hundreds of acres were looking like fishponds in many villages of Diviseema due to the continuous downpour.

Since small-time farmers and agriculture labourers lost their livelihood, they began fishing in the fields and selling the catch to people travelling between Avanigadda and Vijayawada on National Highway No. 214.

Fishing became a major activity in Challapalli, Mopidevi, Ghantasala, Movva, and Pamarru areas in the last three days with more and more people entering into the fray with nets and fishing rods.

"We have to earn some money to meet our daily expenses," Srinivasa Rao explained.

Best price

Incessant rain brought holidays to schoolchildren in the affected areas, as the relief camps were set up in school buildings. Since they have no better job to do, many children were helping their parents in selling fish.

"You will never get such a nice fish at this price," Kalyan, a sixth class student was using his marketing techniques on a customer at Ayyanki village of Movva mandal.

Many relief camps were jam packed, as the number of evacuees was higher than the capacity of the camps. Continuous downpour was forcing people to stay back in the camps.

"We are staying here for the last four days. The rain is still continuing and we do not know for how long we have to stay here," said Pagolu Seetaravamma, a resident of Challapalli Narayana Rao Nagar in Challapalli, who was rehabilitated at Chandra Rajeswara Rao Vikasa Kendram in the town.

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