Hails damage stone fruit crop

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan, April 21

Stone fruit crop like apricot and plums grown in the lower belt of Rajgarh in Sirmaur district has been adversely affected in the rain and hailstones that lashed the area during the last two days.

Damage in the higher reaches of Rajgarh was less as the fruit was yet to mature.

Deputy Commissioner, Sirmaur, Dr RK Pruthi, said as per the report received from deputy director, horticulture, loss worth Rs 47 lakh has been suffered by the orchardists on account of hailstones, rainfall and high velocity winds which lashed the district on April 19 and 20.

As much as 3,500 metric tonnes (MT) of plum is grown over an area of 1,528.75 hectare while apricot accounts for 1,200 MT annually over a 686.48 hectare area in Sirmaur district. The Rajgarh area is known as the peach valley as 6,000 MT fruit is grown over 3026.29 hectare areas. About 10 per cent of the crop has suffered damage.

Deputy Director, Horticulture, Rajinder Bhardwaj, said 25 to 30 per cent of the stone fruit crop like apricot and plum grown in lower areas of Rajgarh has suffered damage due to untimely hailstones which lashed the area in the last few days.