Unseasonal showers, hailstorm take toll on crops

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 16

March has been unusually wet so far and unseasonal rains and hailstorms have resulted in widespread damage to crops across the country. The freak weather threatens to impact the quality and production of wheat, mustard, jowar, fruits and vegetables in northwest and central India.

Wheat crop on thousands of acres in several states, including Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, have borne the maximum brunt of the bad weather.

Hailstorms and rain have caused massive damage to Maharashtra’s onion crop. Grape and pomegranate production is expected to be affected adversely in the Nashik belt.

The unexpected rains have also affected adversely potato crop in Agra, Aligarh, Kannuj and Shikohabad areas of Uttar Pradesh and adjacent regions like Gwalior and Morena in Madhya Pradesh.

Lok Sabha MPs have raised their concern over the loss incurred by farmers and sought relief from the government for them. Agriculture ministry officials said though a sizable quantity of rabi crop had been harvested, they were taking stock of the situation. The matter is expected to be again discussed in the Lok Sabha. The direct impact of the weather, experts said, would reflect in the prices of the essential vegetables in the days to come.

In the past two days, fresh snowfall has been witnessed in higher reaches.