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Standing paddy among other crops damaged by rain, strong winds in Punjab's Hoshiarpur
Standing paddy among other crops damaged by rain, strong winds in Punjab's Hoshiarpur
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Hoshiarpur, Rain accompanied by strong winds damaged standing paddy, potato, sugarcane, vegetables and other crops in parts of Hoshiarpur on Sunday, with farmers' leaders seeking compensation from the Punjab government, claiming substantial losses in hail-hit areas.
The revenue department will assess the extent of crop losses, officials said, adding that the district administration had made arrangements to protect paddy at procurement mandis in view of the rain.
Farmers' leaders said paddy crop got flattened in several areas following rainfall and strong winds on October 11, while hailstorms a few days earlier had damaged crops in villages around Bodal, Berchha and Garna Sahib, among other places.
They said waterlogging also affected potato crops in some areas.
Rain lashed several places in Punjab and many parts of Haryana on October 11.
Doaba Kisan Committee state president Jangveer Singh Chauhan said hailstorms had caused paddy grains to fall off the crop in affected areas, with losses estimated at around 40 per cent in some hail-hit fields.
He named Bodal, Berchha, Garhdiwala, Lalowal and Hussainpur among the affected areas, and demanded full compensation for farmers whose crops had been damaged.
Chauhan said rainfall on October 11 also damaged sugarcane and flattened fodder crops and vegetables.
Potato crops also suffered heavily as fields were inundated, he said, adding that water was still standing in some fields.
Bharatiya Kisan Union state president Manjit Singh Rai said rain also affected paddy lying in mandis, particularly heaps that had not been properly covered.
In some markets, rainwater dampened the paddy despite efforts to protect the produce with tarpaulins, he said.
Rai said paddy that had got flattened could suffer discolouration and deterioration in quality.
Referring to hail-hit areas around Dasuya and Bodal, he said the hailstorms were so intense that even leaves had fallen from trees and fodder crops had been flattened.
He demanded compensation of ₹50,000 per acre for farmers whose paddy crops were destroyed by hailstorms and also for paddy damaged by rain in mandis.
Hoshiarpur Chief Agriculture Officer Depinder Singh Sandhu said flattened paddy crops could suffer yield losses and make harvesting somewhat difficult.
Pointing out that potato crops could also be damaged where they became exposed above the soil surface after rainfall, he said the revenue department will assess the extent of crop losses.
Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Aashika Jain said the district administration had made arrangements to protect paddy at procurement mandis in view of the rain.
She said the district food and supplies controller, district mandi officer and district managers of various procurement agencies had been directed to remain present in the mandis and monitor arrangements.
Paddy stored in bags and in open heaps was to be properly covered with tarpaulins to prevent damage, she said.
The deputy commissioner also directed all sub-divisional magistrates to visit mandis and review the arrangements.
The officials concerned have been asked to coordinate to ensure the immediate drainage of accumulated rainwater from mandi premises so the crop remains protected and procurement continues smoothly, she said.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
