Hailstorm wreaks havoc on crops in Mandi's remote Chauhar valley

Mandi, May 30

After the Seraj valley, a hailstorm wreaked havoc in the remote Chauhar valley of Mandi on Sunday and damaged agricultural and horticultural crops like wheat, barley, potato, apple and walnut.

Affected farmers said the hailstorm badly damaged wheat and barley crops in their fields, which were ready for harvesting. The worst-affected farmers are in Silahbudhani and Tarswan panchayats of the district.

Man Singh, an affected farmer of the Silahbudhani panchayat, said, “Nature has brought doom on me and my family because we have lost our source of livelihood.”

Geeta Devi, pradhan, Silahbudhani panchayat, said, “A hailstorm hit around 15 villages and destroyed agricultural and horticultural crops. Farmers are in distress as their sole source of livelihood has been destroyed.”

Jai Singh, pradhan Tarswan gram panchayat, said, “In our panchayat, farmers of two villages were affected badly because of the hailstorm. Now, they are seeking compensation from the government to cover their losses. The departments concerned should assess the losses to provide relief to the affected farmers.”

Rajesh Dogra, Deputy Director, Agriculture Department, Mandi, said that they would assess the crop loss caused by the hailstorm and send a report to the higher authorities in Shimla for further action.