Crop worth Rs 3 cr ruined in Sirmaur in summer

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan, November 17

As many as 12,708 horticulturists suffered a loss of Rs 2.62 crore in Sirmaur district due to hailstone and high-velocity winds on nine occasions in April and May.

Sirmaur district is known for various stone fruits like apricot, apple, peach, plum, mango, lime, guava, litchi, mango and pomegranate. These crops suffered 40 per cent loss with the maximum damage having been caused from May 1 to May 3 where 2,086 farmers had suffered loss on an area measuring 965 hectares.

The loss was assessed by an inter-ministerial central team which visited Pachhad yesterday for an on-the-spot assessment of the damage caused to crops. The team interacted with the growers. Officials of the agriculture and horticulture departments presented details of loss assessed by them.

The team comprised Piyush Ranjan, Director, Central Water Commission, Vijay Thakre, Director, Fodder, Ministry of Animal Husbandry, and Bhaskar Jyoti Kashyap, Research Officer, NITI Ayog.

Fruit crops suffered the maximum damage in Sangrah block where crop on 2,379 hectares was hit followed by Rajgarh 2,232 hectares, Pachhad 470 hectares, Shillai 413 hectares, Paonta Sahib 296 and Nahan 230 hectares.

Various agricultural crops like wheat, vegetables like potato, tomato, capsicum, beans, ginger and garlic suffered Rs 77.61 lakh loss due to hailstorm in May and June.

In Pachhad, crop on 207 hectares was affected followed by Sangrah 191, Shillai 180, Paonta Sahib 67 and Rajgarh 28.24 hectares, said officials of the Agriculture Department.

The state government expects to get monetary relief after the assessment.