An unseasonal rain accompanied by a hailstorm has wreaked havoc on crops at villages in Bankura district of West Bengal. Standing watermelon crops on several acres of land have been damaged, shattering farmers'  hopes of a high yield. The crop loss has pushed the farmers into distress as they stare at a bleak future ahead.

It rained for about an hour. The watermelons were almost ready for harvest and completely damaged in the rain. The stems of the plants have also been damaged due to the hailstorm, said a farmer.

Watermelon on about 500 to 550 bigha land and sesame crops on 2000 bigha land were damaged. Farmers cultivating other crops also suffered a lot. There is a danger of losing the cultivation of seasonal vegetables including potatoes, sesame, almonds, pumpkins and brinjals, farmers said.

Till Wednesday water was standing in various fields. Potato crops are still in the field and are about to rot due to water accumulation.

Normally, the farmers get good prices in the market during this period, but the hailstorm came as a hindrance and crushed their hopes of a good harvest. Crops of several acres of land at many villages including Lurka, Moulashol, Kantapal, Kolmurari, and Melera in the Raipur block of Bankura have suffered huge losses after the rain.

This is not the first time, almost every time farmers face the wrath of nature while planting potatoes. Again, they suffer the same fate during the potato harvesting season. The watermelon farmers are facing special losses as their crops are destroyed.

Bankura district is a land of rough fine red soil. The farmers had to put a lot of sweat to grow crops. Nature does not support much. Untimely rains, storms or huge fire hinder their cultivation. This time too, the same thing happened, the farmers were in distress due to the hailstorm. Only time can tell how much this loss can be recovered.

Source - https://www.cnbctv18.com