Inclement weather and intermittent rain since Tuesday have upset farmers in the lower Kangra district areas comprising Nurpur, Jawali, Indora and Fatehpur subdivisions, where wheat harvesting is in progress. The rain has hampered the harvesting and threshing work in their fields.

The farmers, who have harvested their wheat crop and kept it in the fields for threshing, are harried a lot. The wet wheat will be blackened, becoming unfit for consumption. However, the standing wheat crop will dry up in sunny days. Though the rain will have a little impact on its quality, it will delay harvesting.

As per official information, farmers cultivate wheat on around 9,850 hectares of land here. The maximum agrarian land in the area is rainfed and farmers are dependent on rainwater for cultivation. As rains were timely, farmers had grown the crops on schedule but these unseasonal rains during the harvesting season have hit them hard. Those farmers who have mango orchards and also grow cereal crops are the worst sufferers.

Earlier too, unseasonal rains in the last week of March had damaged mango crop as rains had blackened mango flowers which had adversely affected fruit setting causing reduction in fruit yield.

As per information from Agriculture Produce Market Committee, the state Food and Civil Supply Corporation had opened three purchase centres and procured 2,865 quintals of wheat at Riyali and Milwan in Indora subdivision whereas no farmer turned up at the Fatehpur centre due to inclement weather.

Rahul Katoch, Deputy Director, Agriculture, Kangra, has urged farmers to avail the benefit of the PM’s crop insurance scheme to get the claim. — OC

Avail benefits of insurance plan

Under the Centre’s crop insurance scheme, farmers have to pay only Rs 18/kanal premium for wheat & Rs 24/kanal for paddy and maize. They can avail Rs 1,200/kanal claim for crop loss due to bad weather conditions. Rahul Katoch, dy director, agri, kangra.

Source - https://www.tribuneindia.com