Crop damage
Weathering losses

There have been reports of a bumper crop in the region but a large number of farmers were hit hard by the recent unseasonal rain. In some areas, the wheat crop was totally washed away.
The Tribune correspondents check out the field situation in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh

Shveta Pathak

It is said that efforts bear fruit. But some farmers in Punjab have reasons to doubt this saying. Their six-month wait for the harvest was about to end when rain caused havoc to the wheat crop. In villages like Talwan, Burj Hassan, Powadra, Omarpur in Noormahal; Sidhwan Bet in Jagraon; Pir Mohammed and Lehra Bet in Ferozepore; and Lakha, Jhordan and Pherurain Achcharwal in Raikot as much as 50 per cent to 75 per cent of the crop has been damaged. In some cases, the loss has been even 100 per cent.

Along with the flattened crop, the hopes of farmers, too, have been dashed to the ground. There are still many questions bothering them. How will they pay off their existing loans? Will they be able to get financial help to recover from the crisis? Will they get a loan to sow paddy?

"It was a nightmare the rain and the hailstorm destroyed our crop totally," laments Kamaljit Singh, a farmer from Talwan village. Kamaljit Singh suffered 100 per cent crop damage. Finding it difficult to find words to narrate his grief, he says: "The crop was really good this time, a bumper crop was expected and I had hoped for a better future."

Kamaljit had recently got his two daughters married by availing himself of a loan. The cold and clear days in December had raised hopes that he would be able to use the "handsome returns" for implementing better farming techniques in the coming paddy season. He had also hoped to pay off the loan he took for the marriage of his daughters.

Shattered, he says: "I do not even know where the money to clear the farm and prepare the land for paddy will come from. This year is going to be really bad. It will even be difficult to recover the money spent on seeds, pesticides and fertilisers."

Gurmej Singh of the same village is disappointed, too, as he suffered more than 50 per cent damage. "It has come as a big shock but we have to think of a way of repaying the loans. I had thought of buying a tractor, which will not be possible now."

In Pir Mohammed and Lehra Bet villages in Ferozepore, the damage was not just restricted to crop but also extended to houses of farmers. Says a villager, "There was 100 per cent damage. The future looks bleak as I will not be able to repay the loan I took this time. This will also mean not getting a further loan for the paddy season."

Many farmers are trying to get whatever little they can out of the damaged crop, using machines. But, that too is not simple. "Clearing this land will mean more than routine expense. Machines for clearing are available for not less than Rs 1,400 an acre, unlike last time when we paid some Rs 500," says Gurcharan Singh of Pir Mohammed village. In some areas, farm operations have come to a halt due to water logging in fields.

The farmers who have suffered less than 25 per cent loss, the minimum that is considered by the government as ‘loss’, also have much to complain about. Narinder Singh, a farmer from Uggi village in Nakodar, who suffered damages in some 20 acres out of a total 90 acres, rues that combines are not able to enter the fields. "Harvesting has been delayed and we are keeping our fingers crossed for good weather ahead."

Rains in the first and then in the second week of this month has not only resulted in crop loss but has also damaged the quality of the surviving crop.

This time everything — from manual labour to charges for using combines — will cost more as the rain has made the process of harvesting difficult," said Amarjit Singh, a farmer of Leel village in Ludhiana.

As compared to last year, the charges for using combines have increased from Rs 500 an acre to over Rs 800, while the cost of manual labour has gone up from Rs 1,400 per acre to Rs 2,000-2,100.

A large number of farmers are panicking on account of uncertainty caused by the delay in harvesting. "For a farmer, danger does not end until he gets the payment for his produce. We are really worried about the weather and cannot rest until the process is complete," said Amarjit Singh from Bhogpur.

It poured woes
Geetanjali Gayatri

The celebrations of the harvesting season in Haryana were cut short even before they began as clouds rolled in, it poured and hail hit the standing crop nearly a fortnight back. The untimely rain not only damaged the wheat crop ready to be harvested but also wreaked havoc on the mustard crop. The squall in some areas completely flattened the standing crop, discoloured the grain of the mature crop and shrivelled the grain of the immature crop.

According to Agriculture Director Sumita Mishra, the government has already ordered a special girdawri in the rain-hit areas. "The total damage due to rain and hail is spread over 1.5 lakh hectares. Out of this, nearly 1.2 lakh hectares has been damaged up to 20 per cent. This means there is no acute damage to the crop," she said.

The maximum damage is confined to 20,000 hectares in Hisar, Fatehabad, and Rohtak. "Despite this, we are expecting a record production because there was an increase of one lakh hectares in the area under wheat this season," she maintained. In Jhajjar, Rann Singh, a farmer from Dighal village, however, cannot stop mourning his loss. "I had harvested my mustard crop and was scheduled to collect it the next day from the field. It rained that night and with the rainwater was washed away the entire season’s hard work," he laments. The hailstorm, accompanied by lashing rain, damaged the rabi crop in nearly 10 villages of Beri town in the district where the girdawri is on and a final report is awaited to know the extent of loss.

A farmer looks at his flattened crop in Bhor village of Rohtak. Photo by Ravi Kumar

Contradictory reports are flowing in from Fatehabad where Deputy Commissioner OP Sheoran pegs the loss of farmers between five and 10 per cent based on a survey. This is as opposed to 25-50 per cent loss claimed by the All-India Kisan Sabha.

Jind, where the district administration has begun a survey, has more than a dozen villages, including Malvi, Karela, Khamajkhera, Deshkhera, Lodhar and Lochhab, affected by the rain and hail. Where standing rabi crops, including wheat, gram and mustard, have fallen prey to the rains, 30 to 40 per cent loss is expected.

The area faced a similar situation last year, too, when the loss was higher in comparison to this year. Ramchander, sarpanch of Karela village in the district, said, "The government should adopt a long-term solution to provide cover to the farmers since climatic fluctuations have become a common phenomenon." Hail and rain damaged the wheat crop spread over 1250 acres in the Mustafabad, Radaur and Jagadhri block of the district. Anil Goel, an agriculture engineer and progressive farmer, explained that the rain caused grain loss in crop that had been sown recently. "On the other hand, the weight of the grain increased due to (rain) water. The straw holding the grain was not strong enough to hold the increased weight and hence the roots got damaged, affecting the natural maturity of the crop," he claimed.

Farmers of about 150 villages of Bhiwani, where crop damage is extensive, are sore about the delayed compensation. Though the government has ordered a girdawri, the district administration is yet to complete the job.

Ramesh, a farmer of Pichopa Kalan, said the hail ruined nearly half the standing wheat crop in his field. In other villages of Jui, Nimriwali, farmers Anil, Jasmer and Narender said they had met the political leaders who assured them of compensation without giving a specific timeframe.

Sirsa, Panipat, Karnal are among the low-on-damage districts of the state where, officials maintain, there has been a negligible impact of weather fluctuations. Pradeep Neil, an official of the state agriculture department, said the survey showed that the hailstorm had only impacted four villages.

Rajpal Singh, a farmer from Bhambor in Sirsa, said the strong wind accompanying the hailstorm had delayed harvesting by more than a week. President of the All-India Khet Mazdoor Congress Shamsher Singh Surjewala said the squall had resulted in lodging of the wheat crop and the yield was likely to be down by nearly four quintal per acre in high-production zones.

Fear of fewer apples
Rakesh Lohumi

Apple growers of Himachal Pradesh are a worried lot. The recent spell of freak weather has dashed their hopes of a bumper crop due to adequate and timely snow during winter.

Unseasonal rain and snow coupled with frequent hailstorms have caused extensive damage to the crop. Rain struck at a time when orchards were in the flowering stage. As very few growers use the expensive anti-hail nets, most orchards suffered extensively. Rain caused the mercury to plummet at a time when the orchards needed bright sunshine. It severely affected pollination as insect activity decreases during cold and cloudy weather. Moreover, the pollen of apple flowers is heavy due to which the process of cross-pollination is entirely dependent on bees and other insects and wind has little role to play.

Abnormal and wide variations in temperature are also not conducive to good flowering and proper fruit setting. The ideal temperature for the purpose is from 20ºC to 23 ºC but last fortnight the mercury dipped to freezing point in Kinnaur and hovered between 7ºC and 15ºC in the mid-hill areas which account for the bulk of apple production. Experts feel that the crop in the high-altitude areas where flowering has just begun could still be salvaged if the weather remains favourable. The produce, however, will be affected in the mid-hill areas as hailstones also damage leaves, affecting the process of photosynthesis and eventually the vitality and overall health of the plants.

HIT BY HAIL: An apple orchard, at the flowering stage, stands damaged and denuded in Mashobra. — Photo by S. Chandan

According to reports received from various parts of the state, the maximum damage has been caused in Shimla district, which accounts for 80 per cent of the total apple crop. The extent of damage varies from 30 to 60 per cent. Orchards in Fagu, Rohru, Nankheri, Narkanda Jubbal and Kotkhai account for almost 60 per cent of the total apple production in the state.

In Kulu, the outer Seraj area adjoining Shimla district has been the worst hit, while in Mandi, parts of the Karsog area have been affected. Extensive damage has been caused in the Dalash, Charkhari and Ani areas. Kinnaur district, which produces 16 to 18 lakh boxes of superior grade apple, has not been affected much by the hail. However, the sudden drop in temperature and untimely frost could affect the flowering. The stone fruit crops like apricot, plum, peach and almonds have also been affected in Solan, Sirmour, Mandi and Kulu districts.

Last year, the state recorded the highest fruit production (7.08 lakh tonne) with apple alone contributing 5.92 lakh tonne, surpassing the previous high of 5.4 lakh tonne achieved in 2005-06. It will be a different story this year and the output is likely to decline considerably. A clear picture will emerge towards the end of May when the process of fruit setting will be complete in the entire state.

The government has plans to use another 7,000 hectares for fruit production during the current financial year and increase production to 7.7 lakh tonne. Besides, under the horticulture technology mission, the apple production is to be increased to 8 lakh tonne by 2010 but with weather playing spoilsport this seems a tall order.

In the lower hills, the standing wheat crop was flattened in parts of Una and Kangra districts. However, Himachal Pradesh is predominantly a horticultural state and the damage to the fruit crop is the main concern.