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| Farmers in shock as rains damage crops across Jammu | | | Abodh Sharma
Early times Report
Jammu, Mar 13: Incessant rains that lashed Jammu and Kashmir along with neighbouring states in last 48 hours, have dashed the hopes of a bumper kharif crop. This crop was expected to give a shot in the arm to the agricultural economy where the sentiment has continued to be low despite a hyped 8 percent growth of the GDP. Economists all across the country were pinning hopes on this Kharif to rein in inflation which has been the major concern for governments and the people alike.
Standing crop of wheat in thousands of square hectares in Jammu, RS Pura, Arnia, Bishnah, Samba and Kathua were damaged due to strong chilly winds and un-seasonal rains. "The crop was standing tall and bright sun shine in the last couple of days had nurtured hopes of a good yield" said Kirpa Ram, a farmer in village Fatehpur Brahmana in RS Pura, adding that this rain was likely to drop yield to a great extent. Hundreds of farmers in these areas are likely to suffer losses due to these unexpected rains.
An expert in agronomy in the Sher-i-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology said that the losses in production could range between 20-40 percent. "The rains in the last 24 hours have caused water logging in the fields, which results in weakening of roots and as a result they fail to withstand the wait of the plant which also bears blossomed flowers" said the expert. Divulging the details, he said that the kandi areas experienced a near drought during the winter as the winter rainfall was well below normal. Later, during the flowering stage there were sudden rains, which raised the hope of making up for the losses. "Especially in the rain fed areas, we hoped that 60 percent of the losses shall be made up" said expert adding that as the plants fall, many fungi and micro organisms can ruin the crop.
There are still hopes that the damage can be limited in the areas where the farmers have taken up mixed farming. "If the rain stops now, the damage can be curtailed, especially in areas where farmers have grown mustard or trees in the fields" said Sharma explaining that the mixed crops buffer each other and wind velocity and direction of the rain can be changed in such areas.
Meanwhile, in the neighbouring states also, where the kharif crop is nearly ready for the harvest, the losses can be more as the time for recovery shall be shorter. |
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