Latur: Unseasonal rain and hailstorm cause extensive crop damage in district

Unseasonal rain and hailstorm damaged crops on 11,794 hectares in the Latur district on Friday and Saturday. Rabi crops, orchards, and vegetables were damaged on a large scale. The work to conduct an assessment of damaged crops by the administration is ongoing, an official said.

For the last two days, unseasonal rains along with hail storms have caused extensive damage to wheat, sorghum, gram, mango, grapes, papaya, watermelon, Musk melon, and vegetables. Besides this damage, one farmer and eight animals succumbed to lightning in the rain.

Meanwhile, guardian minister Girish Mahajan held a review meeting at the district collector office here on Saturday and instructed the administration to conduct panchnamas immediately. Also, he visited the fields in Renapur and Chakur talukas and inspected the damage. According to the preliminary estimate of the administration, crops on 11,794 hectares have been damaged. It includes 10,132 hectares of arable farming, 1,233 hectares of horticulture and more than 33 per cent of fruit crops on 428 hectares. Tehsil-wise, the dead livestock is as follows: Chakur 3, Deoni 1, Nilanga tehsil 4. Tehsil-wise crop damage of hectares are as follows: Ahmedpur 70 hectares, Chakur 175, Deoni 2,334, Jalkot 25, Latur 815, Renapur 3,137, Udgir 223 and Shirur Anantpal 200.

The state government employees were on an indefinite strike since March 14 demanding the restoration of the old pension scheme. Meanwhile, unseasonal rains in the district on Friday and Saturday caused extensive damage to crops. Therefore, the employees reached the farm extending support to the district administration to conduct panchnama. Fruit orchards on 428 hectares have been affected by unseasonal rain and hailstorm. Fruit orchards on 133 hectares have been damaged in Renapur tehsil, Ahmedpur 12, Deoni 63, Jalkot 25, Nilanga 80, Latur 65, Udgir 20, Shirur Anantpal 30.