The number of farmers, who suffered crop losses due to hail, has gone up and the area affected has climbed as the district administration completes assessment of the damage. The two days of sudden rain and hail damaged crops over 33,435 hectares in the district.

Resident deputy district collector Jitendra Kakusthe said over 50,000 farmers in the district have been affected due to the unseasonal rain and hail. The administration has completed the survey of the affected area and is in the process of compiling the details of the extent of damage.

"The unseasonal rain that lashed parts of the district last week has destroyed crop across 33,435 hectares owned by 50,437 farmers. The grapes, pomegranates, onion, wheat crops are worst affected," Kakusthe said.

Double tragedy has hit the Malegaon taluka. The crop on over 7,300 hectares of farms across 22 villages, which were battered by heavy rain during the monsoon, was also affected by hail. It received 15 mm of rainfall and 1,650 farmers were affected.

"A total of 290 villages have been affected and the panchanamas have been completed. The onion crop was the most affected as 10,558 hectares of onion farms, in various stages of plantation, were destroyedGrapes was the second-most affected crop with 9,083 hectares lost and pomegranates was the third most affected crop with 8,447 hectares lost," Kakusthe said.

The strawberry cultivation across 35 hectares has also been hit. Wheat farms spread over 560 hectares, jowar on 450 hectares and vegetable of 1,548 hectares were lost in the rain.

"The available data has been presented to the state government. The administration is awaiting further government orders on the issue," a senior official from the collectorate said.

Source - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/