More rain adds to woes of Haryana farmers
On Saturday, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar during his visit to Hisar also conducted an aerial survey of crops affected by untimely rains and hailstorms.
More rains lashed parts of Haryana on Friday, adding to the woes of the farmers who are still counting losses due to heavy rains, hailstorm and gusty winds over the week.
As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Chandigarh centre report rains were reported in most of the parts of the state on March 24, with Ambala receiving 6.2mm rains, Karnal (7.8mm), Rohtak (10.6mm), Fatehabad (6mm), Hisar (5.5mm), Yamunanagar (4.5mm), Mahendergarh (9.5mm). This is for the second time in the past four days that the unseasonal rains have hit the state. On March 20 and 21, Karnal received a maximum of 50.8mm of 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.
The farmers said the rain is damaging the crop, which is in the ripening stage. High-velocity winds accompanied by rains on March 21 flattened the unripe standing crop, and Friday’s rain has caused water logging in the fields.
The IMD figures reveal that Haryana received a total of 22mm of rainfall from March 1 to 25 against the normal 3mm. There are also predictions of more rain in the northern districts of Haryana.
“Most of the wheat crop on my 15 acres was already flattened with rain over the week and now we are concerned that the water logging will damage the grain,” said a wheat grower Deshraj in Karnal district.
The initial reports collected from the districts by the state agriculture department suggest that rains and hail storms have impacted around 5 lakh acres of the area under wheat and 1.65 lakh acres of the area under mustard.
The state’s revenue department was already started conducting a special girdawari to assess the damage to crops and vegetables. The farmers have been advised 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. Narhari Banger, director, Haryana agriculture and farmers welfare department, said that the exact data of crop loss will be ascertained after the special gridawari by the revenue department but farmers were already advised to report the damage on the online portal as well.
On Saturday, chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar during his visit to Hisar also conducted an aerial survey of crops affected by untimely rains and hailstorms.
As per a statement from the CM’s office, the Haryana government is committed to protecting the interests of the farmers and ensuring their welfare.
The chief minister said in a statement every possible effort will be made to safeguard the interest of the farmers, and directions have been given to the deputy commissioners to carry out special girdawari of crops affected by untimely rains and hailstorms in the past. The DCs have been further directed to complete this special girdawari work by April 15 so that compensation can be transferred into the accounts of the farmers by the month of May, reads the statement.
