Rain hits wheat harvesting, hailstorm damages mango crop

Normal to heavy unseasonal rain that lashed the lower region of Kangra district during the past two days since Saturday noon has disrupted normal life, besides posing threat to wheat crop.

The harvesting of wheat crop, which was in full swing till Friday, has been stopped suddenly causing not only the delay in left-out harvesting but also affected the quality of harvested crop. The threshing operation of the harvested wheat crop has also been suspended by the farmers due to rainfall.

The inclement weather has also caused repeated power supply failures since yesterday which also affected potable water supply in the region.

The weather has also led to a drop in temperature forcing the people to take out their warm clothes. The farmers are concerned about the bad impact of heavy rainfall on the wheat straw quality, which is used as dry fodder for the coming months. The agriculture experts say that this rainfall has disrupted ongoing harvesting of wheat crop and impacted crop yield but it would be beneficial for summer vegetable crops.

Meanwhile, hailstorm in Bhadwar belt in Nurpur and the surrounding gram panchayats on Saturday afternoon has played havoc on mango crop. The mango is a cash crop in the area and directly linked with the economy of farmers and fruit growers but hailstorm has caused extensive damage to the crop as fruits which were on the size growing stage have been damaged.

The hopes of the growers, who had been expecting a good mango crop three days ago, were dashed.

Surinder Singh, Subject Matter Specialist (SMS), Horticulture block, Nurpur, said that a field estimate report of mango crop damage due to hailstorm would be prepared on Monday. He admitted that hailstorm had impacted this fruit crop in Bhadwar belt in Nurpur area.