Sudden downpours, accompanied by gusty winds and hailstorms in recent days, have worried farmers in the central and western parts of the country who are already grappling with a relatively early onset of summer.
Reports suggest that hailstorms appear to have affected crops in some districts of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, as well as the Saurashtra and Kutch regions of Gujarat, although the exact extent of the damage can only be estimated after a proper investigation by government officials.
If the showers and gusty winds continue for a few more days, the damage could be more widespread.
In Gujarat, farmers said stagnant jeera, castor and coriander crops were hit due to untimely rains and hailstorms in some fields, while in Madhya Pradesh wheat crops could be affected in some fields in Mandsaur, Neemuch, Rajgarh and Sehore. Most products are harvested in the next 8-10 days.
“Rain and gusty winds at this time can cause wheat to flatten and discolour,” said Bhagwan Meena, founder of Kisan Swaraj Sangathan, a Madhya Pradesh-based farmers’ group.
Prime Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, meanwhile, in a late-night tweet urged farmers not to worry as the state government is fully prepared to conduct a proper investigation to assess the damage.
In Maharashtra, the PTI news agency quoted Chief Minister Eknath Shinde as saying that premature rains hit at least five districts and damaged crops just ahead of the harvest season.
While taking stock of the situation, Shinde ordered officials to conduct panchnamas, or assessments of the losses suffered by farmers, according to an official release.
Districts affected include Thane, Palghar and several parts of Washim, Nashik and Aurangabad.
In neighboring Gujarat, farmers said that unusual rainfall, hailstorms and gusty winds affected jeera, castor and coriander crops in the Saurashtra and Kutch regions and in northern Gujarat.
“Existing crops of ajwain, saunf and mustard are affected,” said Jeetendra Ahir of Kutch.
Meanwhile, the intensity and spread of unusual rainfall and hailstorms could decrease in the coming few days, meteorologists predicted.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in its latest weather report released Tuesday that scattered thunderstorms or hailstorms are likely over the next 24 hours over MP and Maharashtra and between March 9 and 10 over North Odisha, Gangetic West Bengal and Jharkhand are likely.
Due to the activity, high temperatures over central India and Maharashtra are expected to drop 2-4 degrees Celsius over the next two days and rise 2-4 degrees over the following three days.
No significant change in maximum temperatures is likely to be expected over Gujarat over the next two days, although they are expected to rise 2-4 degrees over the following three days. The Met said no significant change in maximum temperatures is expected in the rest of the country over the next five days.
Some forecasters are predicting that the rains ahead of the monsoon will intensify and could cover many parts of the country after mid-March.
