Apple growers ecstatic, say rain good for crop

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Shimla, May 5

The over two-month long dry spell in the apple growing areas of Shimla and Kinnaur came to an end this afternoon with a rainfall lasting around three hours. The apple growers sounded ecstatic after receiving a good spell of rainfall after over two months. “We had an extremely good rainfall. There was some hail in some areas here but that was minor,” said Sanjeev Thakur from Rohru.

Massive losses, amend relief manual: Singha

Theog MLA Rakesh Singha said several panchayats in his constituency had witnessed unprecedented hailstorm. “Most farmers are small and marginal, they have been hit badly,” he said. He demanded amendment to the relief manual, which grants just Rs 300 per bigha. “I had brought a private member resolution in the last Budget Session to amend the relief manual and fix relief at 50 per cent of the crop damaged,” he said. “It’s high time the government should amend it,” he said.

The apple growers in the Kotkhai belt also heaved a sigh of relief. “If it had not rained now, the apple growers would have suffered huge losses. It’s timely rain, the crop is going to benefit a lot from it,” said Satpal Chauhan, an orchardist from Ratnari, the area which had suffered a massive damage due to the untimely snowfall in April last year.

In Kinnaur, too, rains have given a huge respite to the apple growers. “Everyone was delighted today and we distributed sweets with the long dry spell coming to end,” said Narayan Negi from Kinnaur.

Though Shimla city was lashed by a heavy hailstorm, most of the apple growing areas escaped it, barring a few panchayats in Theog block. “We had a terrible hail storm and people have suffered huge losses.

The nets are torn and the bamboos are broken,” said Hemraj, an apple grower from Bhaj panchayat. “The nearby panchayats of Kelvi, Bhrana and Kandru have also received heavy hail,” he said.

Hail has been reported from some areas in Kullu, particularly the Dalash belt.