Hoshiarpur, Rain accompanied by strong winds damaged standing paddy, potato, sugarcane, vegetables and other crops in parts of Hoshiarpur on Sunday, with farmers’ leaders seeking compensation from the Punjab government, claiming substantial losses in hail-hit areas.
Farmers’ leaders said paddy crop got flattened in several areas following rainfall and strong winds on October 11, while hailstorms a few days earlier had damaged crops in villages around Bodal, Berchha and Garna Sahib, among other places. Doaba Kisan Committee state president Jangveer Singh Chauhan said hailstorms had caused paddy grains to fall off the crop in affected areas, with losses estimated at around 40 per cent in some hail-hit fields. Chauhan said rainfall on October 11 also damaged sugarcane and flattened fodder crops and vegetables.
The revenue department will assess the extent of crop losses, officials said, adding that the district administration had made arrangements to protect paddy at procurement mandis in view of the rain. They said waterlogging also affected potato crops in some areas. Bharatiya Kisan Union state president Manjit Singh Rai said rain also affected paddy lying in mandis, particularly heaps that had not been properly covered. Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Aashika Jain said the district administration had made arrangements to protect paddy at procurement mandis in view of the rain.
