High-velocity winds, heavy rainfall, and hailstorms across Jharkhand in recent days have caused damage to seasonal fruit and vegetable crops, including mangoes, watermelons, tomatoes, coriander, okra, and gourds.

A mango grower from Khunti district, Manoj Linda, said, "The heavy rains and hailstorms have caused a massive fruit drop. We were anticipating a bumper harvest this year as the trees were laden with fruit, but following the storm, we are deeply concerned about our financial survival."

Vegetable growers also reported crop losses. Kiran Devi, a grower from Ormanjhi block in Ranchi, said, "Most of my tomato crop has been ruined. I am being forced to sell whatever remains at a nominal price just to salvage some value before it decays further."

Ormanjhi circle officer Ujjwal Kumar Soren said around 40 growers had already submitted requests for compensation.

"Around 40 farmers have already approached us. We have mobilised mukhiyas and local workers at the panchayat level to urge farmers to submit compensation requests along with their Khata and plot numbers to facilitate the survey," he said.

PRADAN, an organisation supporting around 750,000 growers in the state, also reported widespread crop losses.

Prem Shankar said, "Those growing watermelons, mangoes, and high-value vegetables like tomato and capsicum have incurred significant losses. Around 1.5 lakh farmers associated with the organisation cultivate mangoes, while 40,000 are involved in watermelon farming."

He added, "Watermelon farmers are facing a double whammy. While the hailstorm physically damaged the crops, the subsequent dip in temperature due to the rain has stifled the demand and sale of the fruit."

"At present, farmers are assessing the extent of losses and are hopeful of receiving appropriate support through existing mechanisms and relief measures," he said.

The crop losses have also affected market prices. Md. Azhar, a vendor at Ranchi's Nagababa Khatal market, said the price of Gulab Khas mangoes had fallen from Rs 140/kg (US$1.64/kg) to Rs 100/kg (US$1.17/kg), while other mango varieties declined by at least Rs 20/kg (US$0.23/kg).

State agriculture department secretary Aboobacker Siddique said, "Compensation for crop loss is handled by the disaster management department. We are instructing district agriculture officers to conduct comprehensive surveys of the damage and submit their findings to the disaster management wing, while keeping our department informed."

Source - https://www.freshplaza.com