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Unseasonal rain damages winter crop in north India
−− Government officials in Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh started surveys on last Friday to assess the crop damage and impact on winter sowing of wheat due to heavy rains and hailstorm.
Dec. 16, 2019
Government officials in Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh started surveys on Friday to assess the crop damage and impact on winter sowing of wheat due to heavy rains and hailstorm.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on last Friday evening forecast more rain and hailstorm in northern, central and western India on last Saturday that could further damage the crops and may force farmers to again sow the winter wheat crop, especially in Haryana.
According to the IMD, the worst hit districts were Sikar, Nagaur, Bikaner, Ajmer and Jaipur in Rajasthan; Rohtak, Bhiwani, Sirsa, Fatehabad and Charkhi Dadri in Haryana; Baghpat, Agra, and Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh; and Babua in Bihar.
A woman and her son were killed in Khandela town of Sikar district by lightning while two men were struck by lightning in Alwar district.
Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot took a meeting with the chief secretary and other officials on last Friday and directed them to conduct a survey about the crop loss. Disaster secretary Siddharth Mahajan said eight district collectors had informed the government about loss of crop. “The exact amount of loss will be known by tomorrow morning,” he said.
In Haryana, unseasonable rainfall and hailstorm have damaged mustard, barley and wheat crops in Rohtak, Bhiwani, Sirsa, Fatehabad and Charkhi Dadri districts.
“The rains have severely damaged crops. For the third time, we have to sow wheat. This is a big loss for farmers. This might benefit some farmers but definitely most of us have been affected,” said Suresh Kumar, a farmer in Rohtak district.
“The unseasonable rainfall and hailstorm have left us worried. As it is, the process of sowing wheat is running behind schedule due to lack of labour. No farmer has benefited, the inclement weather has only caused us loss,” said Chattar Singh, another farmer from Charkhi Dadri district.
Gurjant Singh of Sirsa’s Farwai village said, “Heavy rain in the last two days has destroyed my mustard crop. I have requested the officials to check the condition of my farm and start the process of compensation under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY).”
In Madhya Pradesh, wheat and pulse crops were damaged in the Dewas region. Neelam Singh Chauhan, Agriculture Officer, Dewas, said: “The extent of the damage caused to the crops is not yet known. We have instructed officials to go to the villages and assess the damage.”
In Bihar, at least 15-20% of paddy crop was damaged and the rain has delayed sowing loss up to 25 days, said Umesh Kumar Mandal, joint director, agriculture department. Most of the damage is to the harvested paddy crop, which was lying in the fields. The incessant rain and hailstorm hit 38 districts of the state since Thursday night.
Deen Dayal Dubey, a farmer of Sapanautiyan village in Kaimur, said, “The paddy harvested and kept in the open has been lost and ruined several farmers. No government or private agency would procure it and farmers would then have to sell the hard earned crop at throwaway prices.”
Although the state government announced paddy procurement from November 15, it has not started because of ongoing elections in Primary Agriculture Credit Societies (PACS), which procure paddy.
Source: hindustantimes
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