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Heavy rain, hailstorm drown Haryana farmers’ hopes of bumper harvest
Special girdawari ordered in Haryana; farmers say due to rain, wheat and mustard harvesting will be delayed by a week. Unseasonal heavy rains accompanied by hailstorm and strong winds have flattened the unripe wheat and mustard crop shattering the dreams of a bumper harvest of farmers.
Unseasonal heavy rains accompanied by hailstorm and strong winds have flattened the unripe wheat and mustard crop shattering the dreams of a bumper harvest of farmers.
The hailstorm in several mustard-sowing pockets of southern parts of Haryana, including Bhiwani, Jhajjar, Rohtak and Charkhi Dadri, have left the growers high and dry.
Following favourable weather conditions from October to March, farmers were expecting a bumper wheat crop this year. Even scientists of the ICAR-Indian Wheat and Barley Research, Karnal, were predicting that the wheat production of the country may reach record 112 million tonnes.
Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Tuesday announced to conduct a special girdawari of the crops damaged due to the recent untimely rain and hailstorms. While speaking in the state assembly, Khattar urged the farmers to upload their damaged crop data on the e-fasal kshatipurti portal within 72 hours so that timely compensation for the damaged crops can be paid to them.
Rain in the past two days lashed most of the parts of the state. As per the rainfall reports by the Chandigarh centre of the IMD, Karnal received a maximum 50.8mm rain followed by 49 mm in Ambala, 44 mm in Kurukshetra, 34mm in Rohtak, 30mm in Gurugram, 29 mm in Mahendergarh, and 26mm in Yamunanagar, forcing the authorities to swing into action.
Farmers said the rain and winds have flattened most of the wheat crop and this will affect the growth of the grain causing a fall in the yield. They said due to the rain, harvesting of wheat and mustard will be delayed by a week.
“Heavy rains on Monday flattened most of the standing crops and heavy loss is likely in the immature crop which is in the milking stage,” said Praveen Kumar, a farmer from Karnal’s Nilokheri.
Another farmer Suresh Pal of Ladwa said the rain is harmful for both the early and lateral varieties as the crop is flattened and the water will affect the yield.
Rohit Kumar, a farmer from Dudhwa village in Dadri, said his standing mustard crop on 14 acres, which was all set for harvesting after a week, was completely damaged after the rainfall accompanied by hailstorm on Monday.
In Karnal, Aditya Dabas, deputy director, Haryana agriculture department, said as per the initial reports, up to 25% loss has been reported in around 1.63 lakh acres under wheat cultivation in Karnal district while 26 to 50% loss was reported on 33,000 acres and 51 to 75% loss in only 2,000 acres. He said that the farmers have been told to make arrangements to pump out excess water from their fields as it could damage the grains of flattened crops.
He said there was no major loss in mustard crop as 26 to 75% loss was reported in only 390 acres, while 51 to 75% in 50 acres.
In Kaithal, up to 25% loss was reported on 14,305 acres under wheat crop and 26 to 50% loss on 550 acres. Loss up to 25% was reported on only 332 acres under mustard cultivation.
Officials from the state agricultural department said the exact data of crop loss will be ascertained after a crop survey, which is underway, and this will take at least a week. But the initial reports suggest that around 60 % of the total 23.76 lakh hectares under wheat crop were affected due to the rains of which 4.50 lakh acres were badly affected and the reports also suggest around 1.65 lakh acres of mustard were affected. On the other hand, officials said that excess rain and hailstorm were also harmful for vegetables, especially tomatoes and potatoes.
Sahil Kumar, a farmer from Ritoli village in Rohtak, said the wheat crop has been flattened by the winds and water is still stagnated in the fields.
“The untimely rain and hailstorm have caused more than 70% damage to wheat and it will deteriorate the seed quality also,” he added.
Rajesh Sihag, deputy director (agriculture) Fatehabad, said rains lashed the district and it would be beneficial for the wheat crop as rise in temperature was causing a threat to the crop.
Mahavir Singh, deputy director (agriculture), Rohtak, said teams have been visiting the fields and the exact loss will be ascertained after three days.
“The wheat crop reflects change in colour after three days and the exact loss can be ascertained after three days. We are getting complaints from farmers that water is standing in their fields,” he added.
(With inputs from Sunil Rahar)
