Farmers from 18 tribal villages demand land rights and livelihood

TRIBAL farmers from 18 villages in Ravikamatham mandal of Anakapalle staged a protest at the Ravikamatham Mandal Revenue Office on Tuesday, seeking government intervention to address issues related to their land and livelihoods.

- EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Visakhapatnam

The protest rally which began at the mandal office and continued to the load centre. Speaking at the protest, tribal leader K Govinda Rao said, "Farmers from these 18 villages, including Ajjapuram, Kotnabelli, Cheemalapadu, Dharmavaram, and Bennavaram panchayats, depend on 800 acres of cashew nut plantations, which provide a primary source of livelihood for 400 tribal families. The farmers hold D-pattas and forest land pattas, but pest infestations, including blight and stem borer, have severely impacted their cashew yields, leaving them financially strained."