Strong winds, rain damage crops in Ambala

As of 8.30 am, data from India Meteorological Department, Chandigarh, recorded that Ambala received 7.3 mm rainfall in the last 24 hours, highest in the state

Strong winds and erratic rainfall damaged mustard, wheat and other crops in parts of Ambala and neighbouring districts of Haryana, farmers claimed on Saturday.

Farmers said winds in the last two days and rainfall during the intervening night and morning had flattened the wheat crop that is almost ready. (HT Photo)

They said winds in the last two days and rainfall during the intervening night and morning had flattened the wheat crop that is almost ready.

As of 8.30 am, data from India Meteorological Department, Chandigarh, recorded that Ambala received 7.3 mm rainfall in the last 24 hours, highest in the state.

Karam Singh, a farmer from Qurbanpur village of Ambala-1 block, said, “I have grown mustard on 1.5 acre and wheat on 20 acres. Almost my entire grown crop has fallen flat and water has gathered at the roots. This is the situation of almost all farms in my village.”

In the Shahzadpur-Naraingarh belt, farmer leader Tejveer Singh showed flat crops around Panjokhara village in a video.

He told HT, “In my area, crops grown after potatoes have also been affected. In case of mustard, the ready crop could not be taken for procurement, as there is only one purchase centre in the city. The authorities can detect farm fires through satellite images, why can’t the same be done to assess crop damage?”

Jaswinder Saini, deputy director of agriculture, said, “A rain report will be received. Overall, this rain is beneficial for most crops, but harvesting of mustard will be affected. As the weather turns warmer, the rain will benefit the wheat crop.”