Hailstorm damages wheat crop on 700 acres at Patiala village

A severe squall followed by a hailstorm on Friday evening caused a significant damage to wheat crop on around 700 acres at Manjoli village in Ghanaur tehsil of Patiala district.

Patiala Chief Agriculture Officer Jaswinder Singh confirmed the extensive damage, stating the department had received reports about the destruction caused to the wheat crop due to the hailstorm.

“Teams were dispatched to Manjoli village for an initial survey and the preliminary assessment revealed that the crop on nearly 700 acres has suffered damage. A report has been compiled and sent to the department for further evaluation. The field staff is now working on a detailed assessment to quantify losses suffered by individual farmers,” he added.

While Manjoli village bore the brunt of hailstorm, no major report of crop flattening or damage was received from other parts of the district, except for some isolated areas where recently irrigated crops were affected by strong winds.

Director Agriculture Jaswant Singh had on Friday directed the monitoring staff to visit fields, assess the situation and file a report.

Farmer Dalvir Singh of Manjoli expressed distress while showing his damaged wheat crop. He said he had sown wheat on five acres and was anticipating a bumper yield. “But the entire standing crop was destroyed due to the hailstorm,” he lamented, adding that agriculture was becoming increasingly challenging due to unpredictable and extreme weather events. He said he had spent over Rs 1 lakh on seeds, sprays and field maintenance, apart from labour costs.

The hailstorm did not spare horticulture crops either. Director Horticulture Shailender Kaur acknowledged the damage to vegetable crops across the state and said the field monitoring teams had been deployed to assess the extent of loss.

Deputy Director Horticulture Sandeep Singh Grewal said the hailstorm was not widespread. “Vegetable growers who had sown early varieties of brinjal, capsicum and other crops in Inderpura village along the Nabha road in Patiala, have suffered losses. However, no report of damage has been received from other areas so far. The field staff is collecting data to gauge the total impact,” he added.