Unseasonal hailstorm along with heavy showers that lashed the city on Monday damaged all the standing crops and vegetables sown in and around Jaipur. Already facing jolts of erratic weather, farmers had to witness yet another round of torrential rains and hailstorm that lasted for 30 minutes. It is the second time in less than a month that weather has changed suddenly. Showers that accompanied hailstorm have destroyed all the full grown rabi crop besides fruits and vegetables.
"Even a little water at this time will destroy any vegetable. Spinach, ladyfinger, round gourd (tinda) will be affected. If there is water clogging then crops of muskmelon and cucumber will also be destroyed completely and may not even come in the market," said Radheyshyam Phatak, president of Rajasthan Fruits and Vegetable Traders Association.
Chomu which is the biggest supplier of vegetables in Jaipur during March-April received heavy downpour for the second consecutive day. Experts believe that this may lead to an increase in prices as flow from outside the state has largely been stagnant.
Several parts of UP, MP, Maharashtra, Punjab, Gujarat, Uttarakhand and Haryana have received unseasonal rainfall. For Rajasthan these states remain major suppliers of vegetables and fruits.
Similarly, production in Chomu which balances out any shortfall from outside is also likely to see downfall in production due to changing weather conditions," said Rajendra Agarwal, a trader in Muhana Mandi.
Likewise, wheat, gram and mustard which were sown late too are likely to face damages. Though agriculture department officials assert that most of the crop has already been harvested and only a few patches are left where crops are to be reaped.
"We are yet to be identify the areas where hailstorm has taken place. But most of the crops have already been harvested. Wheat which was sown late may be slightly affected but the crop has the ability to absorb unexpected showers," said an official of agriculture department.
Source - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
