Maharashtra To Madhya Pradesh, Crops Destroyed Due To Unseasonal Rain

Unseasonal rains, hailstorms and strong winds have left fields of grains flattened and harvested fruits damaged and destroyed across several states.

The chief ministers of affected states are now getting down to assessing the damage, so compensation can be paid to farmers.

The weather department has advised farmers of Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana to postpone harvesting.

Assam farmers have also been asked to postpone harvesting of fruits and vegetables and move the already harvested produce to safer places immediately.

The impact of climate change - evident in freak weather patterns like these - are a warning that how it can impact food security and agricultural incomes.

In Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan held a high-level meeting to assess the crop loss and has assured the farmers that they will be compensated.

He said the survey will be completed by March 25, after which the compensation will be disbursed among the farmers.

"Each farmer's crop damage will be surveyed with human approach. Farmers who've lost over 50 per cent crops will be compensated at Rs 32,000 per hectare rate, the rest will get relief under crop insurance scheme," he said.

But Speaking to NDTV, the farmers expressed their displeasure and demanded compensation from the state government. "Half of my crop have been damaged because of heavy rain and hailstorm, our Sharabti variety of wheat commands more than Rs 4000 per quintal, but now I can get only Rs 2200-2500 per quintal, government should provide compensation for our loss," Barkehda Nathu, a farmer, said.

In Rajasthan's Bundi, 60-year-old Prithviraj Bairwa had taken a loan of Rs 7 lakhs hoping to repay it with this year's harvest, but he took pesticides and died by suicide when he saw the damage to his crops.

Rain and hail in parts of Kota, Bundi and Jhalawar districts over the past three-four days have caused considerable damage to wheat, gram and coriander and other crops.

Maharashta Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has also asked district officials to carry out a survey of the damaged crops.

The crops of wheat, pulses, banana, grapes, orange and mango were damaged mainly in Marathwada and some part of Vidarbha. In Nashik and Pune too, unseasonal rains destroyed the standing crops.