Hailstorm, unseasonal rain damage wheat crops

PATNA: Untimely rains and heavy hail storm in north Bihar caused extensive damage to the wheat crops on Saturday. However, their was no report of any casualty from any part of the region.

Officials manning the control room of the disaster management department said that reports of rain and hail storm were received from several parts of the state but there was no incident of loss of human life or livestock. “Wheat crop was damaged largely because of unseasonal rain. Though standing crops have been harvested, they were still lying in the field. The farmers have to incur a huge loss due due to hail storm,” said Bhola Singh, a farmer from Vaishali district.

Sitamarhi, East East Champaran, Muzaffarpur, Katihar, Araria, Kishanganj, Purnia and Supaul district were the worst hit. Maize crops too were damaged. “It’s a double shocker for us. First we had to suffer a lot due to lockdown and now the untimely rains,” said a Sitamarhi farmer Sanjiv Singh.

Meanwhile, the met department has predicted rains on Monday also.