New Delhi, April 5 (IANS) Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan has directed officials of his Ministry to review the damage caused to farmers’ crops by unseasonal rains and hailstorms across several states, according to an official statement issued on Sunday.

The minister has instructed officials to contact authorities in the concerned states and gather information on the extent of damage caused to crops by heavy rain and hailstorms.

Chouhan has assured farmers in the affected states that they need not worry, and that in this hour of crisis, the Modi government stands with them, the statement said.

The minister will also discuss the matter of crop damage, due to hailstorms and heavy rains, with the agriculture ministers of the concerned states.

Unseasonal rain and hail across Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana is reported to have caused damage to the standing rabi crop, which includes wheat.

Crops are reported to have been hit in over 4,053.11 hectares across 17 districts in Uttar Pradesh, affecting 14,207 farmers. Lalitpur district in the state has emerged as one of the worst-affected with crop damage recorded across 1,650.75 hectares, impacting 3,142 farmers, said officials. The district recorded around 118.6 mm rainfall in March against a normal of about 30.3 mm — a departure of nearly 291 per cent above normal. Apart from Lalitpur, crop loss has been reported in Saharanpur, where 11 hectares were affected, including about 44 farmers in five villages.

Similarly, unseasonal heavy rainfall accompanied by hailstorms and strong winds has disrupted wheat harvesting across Punjab, raising serious concerns among farmers as the crop enters its final stage of ripening.

The wheat crop, which has already matured in several parts of the state and is in the last phase of ripening in remaining areas, is now facing delays in harvesting due to wet field conditions. Farmers said that continued rainfall has made it difficult to operate harvesting machinery, pushing back the harvesting schedule.

The adverse weather has been triggered by a western disturbance, which is an extratropical storm originating in the Mediterranean Sea, Caspian Sea and Black Sea regions. The westerly winds bring in sudden rain to the northwestern parts of the Indian subcontinent.

–IANS

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