Unseasonal rain, hailstorms damage harvest-ready crops across states; Centre holds review

NEw  new delhi: unification agriculture government minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on fri reviewed the shape of winter-planted crops in the country as torrential rains and hailstorms battered fertile northern, central and western plains, damaging harvest-ready wheat, rapeseed and horticulture produce.Chouhan called upon senior officials to coordinate with state governments for speedy assessment of crops and asked them to hold meetings with insurance companies to ensure time-bound payments of claims from farmers, a farm ministry official said.Farmers and producer groups from several food-bowl states have reported damage to large tracts of farmland as squally weather disrupted harvesting operations and dislodged ripening crops. Crop losses could dent farm incomes and output, raising the risk of inflation amid growing concerns over shocks to Asia’s third largest economy from the West Asian conflict. A gas crunch has already curtailed domestic output of urea, the most used crop nutrient, ahead of the summer-sown season.Also Read | Standing Rabi crops at risk: Weather somersault leaves UP farmers high and dryThe agriculture department has issued an alert for two more successive spells of western disturbances, a rain-bearing system originating in the Mediterranean, likely to hit northern states. It asked farmers to call Kisan helplines and reach out to local agricultural extension offices for localised measures to protect harvests.Widespread hail struck parts of western Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra’s Vidarbha and Marathawada regions, West Bengal, Odisha, northern Karnataka overnight, the state-run India Meteorological Department said in an update on Friday.“There were detailed discussions on the damage caused by unseasonal rains and hailstorms to crops in several states. I want to assure that farmers will get all help and immediate support,” Chouhan told reporters.Traders surveying markets to prepare for harvest arrivals next month said some areas have been hit hard. Wheat and mustard in many belts of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana have been affected, cultivators said. “There was a heat wave in early March which threatened wheat. The weather brought relief but hailstorms have damaged rapeseed in Sri Ganganagar and Hanumangarh,” said Vikrant Kota, the proprietor of Kota-based Govardhan Enterprises, a food aggregator.For the week ended March 18, countrywide rainfall was 66% above normal and the wet spell in northern India will continue until March 22, the weather bureau said. Farmers have sown 33.4 million hectares of wheat this winter, up nearly 7% compared to the corresponding last season. The oilseeds acreage stood at 9.7 million hectares, up from 8.6 million hectares in the year-ago corresponding season.“We are already talking to states for crop-cutting exercises to scientifically determine losses. However, our foodstocks are sufficient to meet all requirements, including general consumption and for the public distribution system. Summer sowing in many states have already begun,” the official cited above said.In Punjab, persistent rain and gusty winds over the past 48 hours have flattened the wheat crop in fields of several districts, leaving farmers concerned about their harvest. Rajveer Singh, a farmer in Sangrur’s Laddi village, said nearly 20% of his 60-acre crop is already damaged.Farmers in Patiala, Sangrur, Ludhiana and Bathinda said strong winds had already affected parts of their fields. “The crop will be ready in the coming weeks. If it lodges now, harvesting will become difficult and grain quality may deteriorate,” said Pragat Singh from Patiala.In Andhra Pradesh, officials informed chief minister Chandrababu Naidu that maize crop in 4,840 hectares, paddy in over 1,530 hectares and black gram in 310 hectares were damaged across 12 districts, with losses estimated at ₹40 crore.In Rajasthan, several districts were impacted due to severe rainfall. Preliminary estimates suggest up to 80% damage to isabgol crops and around 40% losses to cumin, officials said. The impact was equally severe in Thar region, including Barmer, Balotra, Jalore and Jaisalmer, where strong winds and rain damaged crops such as cumin, isabgol, castor and mustard.