According to the recent reports rolled out by PTI, more than one lakh hectares of wheat crop have flattened due to the untimely hail and strong winds observed over multiple districts of Punjab. The worst hit area remains Fazilka. These rains were observed mainly on March 11 and 12. These rains were accompanied with hailstorm and strong winds. According to the agriculture department this recent happening can cause the average crop yield to drop by at least 6 to 7 percent.
Among the affected areas, maximum ‘lodging’ or more commonly called flattening of crops was reported in Fazilka at 45,500 hectares, followed by Patiala with 25,000 hectares, Rupnagar with 18,000 hectares, Fatehgarh Sahib with 8,100 hectares and Hoshiarpur with 8,000 hectares. Several ‘kinnow’ orchards suffered damage because of the hailstorm in Fazilka.
In fact, this is not the only week which wreaked havoc on crops in Punjab. Just last week, heavy showers flattened crops on almost 2.02 lakh hectares of land in the state.
Looking at the weather forecast, now, the rain activities will gradually subside over Punjab. However, some northern districts of Punjab might continue to see light rains today as well. By tomorrow, there will be a significant decrease in rains over Punjab as well as Haryana.
Image Credits – India Today
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