Crops damaged; IMD forecasts fresh western disturbance
As farmers in northern States — Punjab, Haryana, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh — brace for another round of rainfall and hailstorm next week, experts said frequent showers with hailstorm and thunderstorm in the past two week have damaged potatoes, mustard, green pea, onion, orchard and rice of the rabi season. A clearer picture will emerge over the next few days as reports start pouring in.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast a fresh western disturbance that will affect western Himalayan region and plains of the north-west region from February 13. The IMD predicted that another western disturbance may affect western Himalayan region from February 10, but the rainfall belt has further shifted eastwards now and thunderstorms, hailstorms at isolated places are likely over east and north-east India, including Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Tripura on February 10-11. Himachal Pradesh’s popular tourist destinations Kufri and Dalhousie received more snowfall on Saturday leading to a drop in temperatures by several notches.
As per preliminary reports, potatoes crop in northern States have been damaged due to untimely and frequent rainfall and hailstorm this year.
As per primary feedback, a 40-50 per cent potato is reported to have been damaged in the hailstorm. Standing mustard and green pea crops in some parts of Rajasthan, Mathura, Baghpat, Almora, Moradabad, Bulandsahar, Noida in western Uttar Pradesh), Rewari, Kurushetra, Bhiwani in Haryana and the National Capital Region (NCR) also badly affected due to hailstorm as per initial reports from the States. According to farmers, their potato crops have been destroyed due to hailstorm.
In Bihar and eastern UP, gram, arhar, masoor, and other pulses have been affected due to frequent hailstorm and thunderstorm in the past two weeks. “Unseasonal rain accompanied by hailstorm and thunderstorm in major growing regions of the North, including Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in the past two weeks have damaged the rabi crops including potatoes, onion and tomatoes. The extent of damage is being assessed,” said officials of agriculture ministry.
Due to untimely snowfall in Kashmir since November 3, last year apple growers suffered a lot and there are reports of huge damage of apple crop in the state. It is estimated the losses suffered by Kashmiri apple farmers at over Rs 5 billion. Apple growers were the hardest hit as the snowfall not only damaged the apple crop, but also the branches of apple trees laden with fruit, making them crumble under the weight of snow. The sudden snowfall also disrupted the transportation of Kashmiri apple to outside the state as the national highway remained blocked for several days due to extreme weather.
About 50 per cent fruit orchards were damaged due to recent snowfall in this picturesque valley and adjoining areas in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir, said Jammu and Kashmir agriculture department officials.
The wheat crop, the main cereal of rabi, may not have been affected from the hailstorms, agriculture scientists said, as it is still in late-tillering (production of multiple side stems) stage. The crop is yet to reach the crucial flowering and pollination stage, so there is no danger to wheat, they added. If the temperature continues to be low as predicted by IMD, it will help wheat productivity.
According to the Agriculture Ministry’s latest data, as compared to 622.12 lakh hectares planted in 2017-18, the sowing covered only 591.64 lakh hectares till Friday this year. In other words, 30 lakh hectare less planted this year during rabi crop season. The Agriculture Ministry said 10.20 lakh hectare less area covered for wheat cultivation this year. Wheat cultivation is restricted to 296.37 lakh hectare which is 2.5 per cent lower than the 304.88 lakh hectare reported in the corresponding week in the previous rabi season. The acreage under pulses dropped to 151.6 lakh hectare, a little over six per cent lower than in the same period in 2017-18.
