Lucknow: Heavy rainfall has resulted in huge loss as our standing as well as harvested wheat crops have become wet. The Government should take a note of it and provide compensation to affected farmers,” said a small farmer while pointing towards the heaps of wet crop. “The government will have to take measures to offer relief to the farmers in such a situation,” said an official
The unexpected rains that lashed a large part of north and central India in the last two days have spelled doom for farmers, as reports of extensive damaged their wheat crops washing away prospects of bumper production in from many states. A number of small farmers are struggling hard to survive as erratic weather hit their only source of income. They are seeking Government help for survival till the next harvest.
March and April are the months when the rabi crop is harvested, but the rain in the last two days, accompanied by strong winds, has dashed the hopes of many farmers. In Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat, the standing wheat and mustard crop have been damaged with some places reporting rainwater flooding the fields.
In Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara, 500 sacks of wheat in a government storage unit were ruined because of the apathy of the authorities. The officials had not prepared for the unseasonal rain, resulting in the loss. In some places, the rain also destroyed soyabean and corn crops due to carelessness.
The reports from Uttar Pradesh are also pretty grim. The district administration in Mainpuri has assessed that at least 70 per cent of the wheat crop has been destroyed in the rain. Even potato and mustard crops have met a similar fate.The farmers are now looking up to the government for relief.
The heavy rainfall has severely affected the wheat crop in Bihar’s Saharsa district. District officials have blamed strong winds for the damage. The unseasonal rain is also going to affect the yield of the king of fruits this season, with many mango trees in Maharashtra being uprooted due to strong winds accompanying the rain.
The immediate need right now is to drain excess water from wheat fields. In many areas, the wheat was sown late and the grain size was still small. The officials admit that an accurate account of the damage would be made by the end of this week.
But the reports so far have not been encouraging as the rain has covered a large geographical area at an inappropriate time. It can also impact on vegetable prices as cauliflower, tomato and coriander produce have suffered in states like Maharashtra.
Last two-three days in Maharashtra have damaged crops and orchards, causing a loss of about Rs 1,000 crore, an official said here today. The vegetable baskets of Junnar, Ambegaon and Khed in Maharshtra are some of the worst affected. Even fruits like grapes grown in parts of Maharashtra have been damaged. The officials said the biggest task of the state governments would be to ensure that the price of vegetables does not increase.
Agricultural scientists said while perishable fruits and vegetables will bear the immediate brunt, the untimely rains will hit wheat that is ready for harvest. This, according to them, could add to food inflation as rains will also damage the rabi crop which is being sown.
The damage will be controlled if the weather condition improves in the next couple of weeks,” said JPS Dabas, principal scientist at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute. Meanwhile, traders in Delhi said the rate of onion at Azadpur Mandi has gone up to Rs 19 per kg on Monday from Rs 16 the previous day. Similarly, potato was selling at Rs 9 a kg in the wholesale market as compared to Rs 7 per kg on Sunday. Green or perishable vegetables, too, recorded high wholesale rates on Monday.
Many farmers levelled bribery allegations against the Village Administrative Officers (VAO). “When we had approached them for the ‘adangal’ for the lands, we were asked to give Rs.1,000 for it,” said S. Chinnan from Kesampatti. The Collector assured them that said strict action would be initiated against the officials.
Bureau Report
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