Winter rain, hailstorm worry farmers, RLD demands compensation

Lucknow: Farmers are worried over the statewide winter rain alongwith hailstorms in Uttar Pradesh even as the government has directed the district magistrates to make estimate of crop losses, if any, and send a report to it.

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Though the agriculture department says the situation so far is not bad, more rains may harm certain crops.

“Standing crops like wheat and pulses are the worst-affected due to rain and waterlogging in the fields that do not have proper slope,” said Ajay Awasthi, a farmer in Baharaich district. He said more rain might prove to be catastrophic for the farmers.

The agriculture department on Friday collected the statewide rain data for January this year and found rains to be more than the normal or even excessive in many districts. “ We have collected the rain data and are analyzing the same,” said an agriculture department official, adding, “Apparently, there is no harm due to rains so far though reports from some districts are yet to be collected.”

Expressing concern over farmers’ loss of crops due to wide-spread hailstorms, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) has demanded the state government to get the loss estimated and ask the DMs to make assistance available to affected farmers.

State president of RLD Masood Ahmad in a statement said crops like oil-seeds, pules, potato were widely damaged in the rain and hailstorms since Thursday night. “The government must announce a compensation package and make the same available to them honestly,” he said.