Unseasonal rains with hailstorms over the past two days have caused massive damage to crops at several places in Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. Bihar government officials stated that rain and hailstorm in parts of south and north Bihar adjacent to Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday damaged flowering and fruiting pulses, vegetables and blossoming mango orchards.
In some parts of Kaimur, Rohtas and Aurangabad, hail of up to 20mm was recorded within a few hours on Monday and Tuesday, officials said. Strong winds with speeds of up to 40 km per hour resulted in damage to mango trees in several areas.
“We are finished,” said Amit Singh, a farmer of Badhauna village in Vaishali district. “The rabi crop was our last hope for survival. Heavy rain in November, December and January destroyed our paddy crops.”
Umesh Kumar Mandal, joint director (agriculture), said rain and hailstorms may have harmed the flowering pulses and oilseed crops and the fruiting crops to some extent. “The government would surely provide compensation to the farmers,” he said.
