Unseasonal Rainfall Causes Huge Crop Loss; Farmers Seek Compensation

Haryana farmers' hopes for a bumper Rabi harvest may have been dashed by unseasonal rains in January, as thousands of acres of standing crop have been submerged or destroyed, prompting them to file for crop-loss assistance. 

According to statistics, a total of 16,617 farmers have filed compensation claims under the Prime Minister Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), alleging losses of 50-100 percent on about 50,000 acres of wheat, mustard, barley, and gram covered by the scheme. 

Applications are flowing in from practically all districts, according to officials with the state agricultural department. However, there are indications that rain-induced water stagnation has harmed thousands of acres of standing mustard, wheat, and barley crops in Haryana's northern and southern regions. 

Officials claimed that the Mustard-growing district of Rewari received the most applications (2,538), followed by Ambala (2,110), Sonepat (1,806), Rohtak (1,770), Nuh (1,435), Charkhi Dadri (1,433), Kurukshetra (930), Bhiwani (910), and Jind (901). 

Furthermore, experts anticipate that the impact of rain will be extensive and far-reaching, as just 30% of the total cultivated land is covered by the PMFBY, and most farmers are hesitant to get crop insurance. A huge number of farmers have chosen to opt out of the crop insurance programme, and they are now seeking reimbursement. 

Rain has ruined my 17-acre potato harvest. Water stagnation also has a negative influence on wheat and mustard crops, but we are uninsured," said farmer Rakesh Kumar of Shahbad in Kurukshetra district. 

Dr Jagraj Dandi, joint director of the Haryana state agriculture department, claimed that over 1,67,000 farmers have registered for compensation, and the ground-level physical verification procedure has already begun. Farmers will benefit from the ground-level committee's evaluation report. 

When questioned about compensation for vegetable and other crop growers, Haryana department of agriculture and farmers' welfare director general Hardeep Singh replied that the process of providing relief to farmers is now ongoing. 

Earlier this month, during a visit to Yamunanagar, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar declared that farmers who have suffered substantial damage will be reimbursed through a special girdawari.