Rains ravage paddy, cotton crops across Hisar; 3.4 lakh acres hit

Heavy rains accompanied by strong winds between October 5 and 8 have wreaked havoc on kharif crops in Hisar district, causing extensive damage to paddy and cotton fields.

A preliminary report compiled by the Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department revealed that 1,57,017 acres of paddy have suffered 26 to 100 per cent damage, while another 1,88,102 acres have sustained 0 to 25 per cent losses.

The situation is equally grim for cotton growers. The cotton crop, which had already been hit hard by the heavy rains in early September, has again sustained major losses. According to the report, 1,85,705 acres of cotton fields were affected in the recent spell, with damage ranging between 26 and 100 per cent.

Overall, around 3,42,722 acres of crops in the district have suffered damage in the range of 26 to 100 per cent, the report indicated.

Officials pointed out that losses caused by inundation of paddy fields are not covered under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), meaning farmers will not receive insurance claims for such damage.

“Affected farmers can upload details of their paddy losses on the e-Kshatipurti portal of the state government to seek compensation,” officials said.

The breakdown of cotton losses shows that crops on 46,650 acres have suffered 76-100 per cent damage, 78,440 acres have losses between 51-75 per cent, and 60,615 acres are affected 26-50 per cent. Another 17,948 acres have reported below 25 per cent damage.

In the paddy crop, 11,000 acres have sustained 76-100 per cent losses, 37,900 acres suffered 51-75 per cent damage, and 1,08,117 acres were hit 26-50 per cent.

Officials added that there is no provision for compensation for crop losses below 25 per cent. Damage assessments for moong and millet (bajra) are yet to be conducted.

The Revenue Department has not yet begun a formal survey of the crop losses.

“These are tentative estimates of the impact of rains,” said Dr Rajbir Singh, Deputy Director of Agriculture, adding that “the Revenue Department will conduct the survey to assess the exact losses.”

Haryana Tribune