Significant damage to wheat, mustard due to hail: Agri Dept report

Hailstorm in many parts of the state has caused widespread damage to crops in about 100 villages in Fatehabad and Hisar district.

According to a preliminary report prepared by the Agriculture Department, there has been a significant destruction of wheat and mustard crops in the two districts. Sources said mustard had suffered damage of up to 75 per cent, while wheat below 50 per cent.

The report estimates damage of up to 25 per cent in over one lakh acres of wheat and 18,000 acres of mustard in Hisar district. Among the worst-hit areas is the Narnaund block, where 82,350 acres of wheat and 7,750 acres of mustard have been affected. Other blocks, including Hansi, Agroha and Adampur, have also reported varying degrees of crop loss. The loss however is stated to be above 25 per cent but not more than 50 per cent, the report stated.

Villages in Narnaund, such as Budana, Rakhi Shahpur, Milkpur and Kher Rose, along with areas in Adampur like Moda Khera, Kishangarh and Mohabbatpur, are among those severely impacted due to the hailstorm. Many farmers, who have taken the agriculture fields on lease at high annual rents are distressed as the hailstorm has destroyed their hopes of a good harvest this season.

Adampur MLA Chander Prakash has written to the state government, urging immediate compensation for the affected farmers. He said the hailstorm has left farmers in dire need of support as they struggle with the heavy losses. Similarly, Satveer Singh Dhayal, District Secretary, All-India Kisan Sabha, has called for a detailed survey by the Revenue Department to accurately assess the damage. He estimated that the losses in some areas might range from 50 to 75 per cent, particularly in wheat, mustard, and vegetable crops.

Dr Rajbir Singh, Deputy Director of the Agriculture Department, said a preliminary report had been submitted to the state government and added that the Revenue Department would conduct a more detailed assessment of the losses.

In Fatehabad district, the mustard crop in about 3,700 acres is reportedly to be severely damaged. The loss is stated to be between 50 per cent and 75 per cent. Agriculture Department officials said though the wheat crop too had suffered some damage due to the impact of hails, the exact loss could be assessed in the special girdawari by the Revenue Department. However, the damage to the mustard crop is quite visible in the fields as the plants have been damaged by the impact of hail, farmers reported.