Rainfall shortage puts Himachal farmers at risk, Rs 18 crore crop damage reported
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The Newz Radar
Dharamshala :The absence of winter rainfall has heightened concerns among farmers in Himachal Pradesh, worsening the already prolonged dry spell. Crop production is dwindling, and farmers, hoping for rain, are facing disappointment as the weather department predicts no rainfall soon.
Reports of crop damage have started pouring in from districts falling under the jurisdiction of the North zone of the Agriculture Department. According to recent reports, the winter crops have incurred losses amounting to approximately Rs 18 crore. This figure may rise if the anticipated rain does not materialize soon.
The affected districts include Chamba, Hamirpur, Kangra, Mandi, and Una. A targeted cultivation area of 260,850 hectares was set across these five districts, with 260,703 hectares already sown with crops. The impact of the dry spell has been recorded on 27,832.5 hectares of farmland.
Pawan Kumar, joint agriculture director, stated that the department had set a production target of around 764,544.1 metric tons. However, due to the ongoing lack of rainfall, a loss of 10,441.04 metric tons in production has been registered so far. Crops affected by the weather conditions include wheat, chickpeas, barley, and pulses in the winter crop season.
