Solan: Crop loss due to poor weather assessed

Ambika Sharma

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Tribune News Service

Solan, November 15

An inter-ministerial Central team today visited Chail for spot assessment of damage caused to agriculture and horticulture crops in Chail in summers.

Loss worth Rs 7.18 cr in Solan district

• Deputy Director, Agriculture, Solan, informed the team that loss worth Rs7.18 crore has been suffered in the district to various crops due to the inclement weather in summers.
• 3,309.6 MT production loss was suffered in various crops like wheat, barley, pulses and vegetables like tomato and capsicum.
• The team visited Sainj in Kandaghat block, Basal in Solan block, Kanda in Dharampur block and Kunihar in Kunihar block.

The team comprised Piyush Ranjan, Director, Central Water Commission, Vijay Thakre, Director, Fodder, Ministry of Animal Husbandry and Bhaskar Jyoti Kashyap, Research Officer, NITI Ayog.

Deputy Director, Agriculture, Solan, Dr Rajesh Kaushik, informed the team that loss worth Rs 7.18 crore has been suffered in the district to various crops due to the inclement weather. As much as 3,309.6 metric tonnes (MT) production loss was suffered in various crops like wheat, barley, pulses, potato and vegetables like tomato, capsicum and peas.

The team visited Sainj in Kandaghat block, Basal in Solan block, Kanda in Dharampur block and Kunihar in Kunihar block.

Monetary loss worth Rs 5.37 crore was suffered by wheat growers who suffered production loss of 2,723 MT. Wheat is grown on over 21,300 hectares land with 6,192 hectare land having suffered less than 33 per cent loss while 1,928 hectares suffered more than 33 per cent loss owing to the inclement weather in the summers, informed Dr Kaushik.

Similarly in barley, which is grown on over 1,200 hectares area in the district, less than 33 per cent loss was suffered on over 380 hectares while more than 33 per cent loss was suffered on over 120 hectares with production loss of 85 MT. The loss has been assessed at Rs 13.60 lakh.

In the case of pulses production, loss of 95.20 MT amounting to 47.60 lakh was suffered. Pulses are grown on over 1,750 hectares land in the district. As much as 425 hectares suffered less than 33 per cent loss while 135 hectares suffered more than 33 per cent loss.

Loss for potato, grown on over 100 hectares, was assessed at 8.84 lakh as 88.40 MT of production was affected. In vegetables, which are grown on over 4,150 hectares, loss worth 1.11 crore was suffered as production of 318 MT was hit. As many as 1,186 hectares where vegetables where grown, loss was less than 33 per cent while 374 hectares, suffered more than 33 per cent loss due to the inclement weather.

In horticulture crops, stone fruits, apples, mango, litchi suffered heavy damage in the hailstones which occurred on April 23 and later on June 3 and 11, informed deputy director, horticulture, Vidya Prakash Bains.

This also includes loss caused to flowers grown in the poly houses worth 55.15 lakh in the Chail valley. As many as 2,288 growers suffered losses in Dharampur, Solan and Kandaghat blocks for various fruit crops.