Bhopal, April 10 Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday said that unseasonal rainfall and hailstorms have damaged standing rabi crops, particularly wheat, across approximately 2.49 lakh hectares so far across several states, with the full extent of losses still being assessed by multiple agencies.
"The assessment of the crop damage is still underway. The assessment is being done by three different departments," Chouhan told reporters ahead of the launch of "Unnat Krishi Mela" in Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh.
He noted that the wheat crop has suffered the maximum damage, followed by horticulture crops. The figure of 2.49 lakh hectares pertains to damage reported till April 8.
Chouhan assured farmers that the Narendra Modi government stands with them in this hour of crisis.
On April 5, Chouhan had directed ministry officials to conduct a comprehensive review of crop losses in the affected states and coordinate with state governments to gather ground-level information.
The Minister also held discussions with the agriculture ministers of the affected states to assess the extent of the damage.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had earlier warned that a fresh Western Disturbance would affect northwest India from April 7, bringing widespread rainfall, thunderstorms and hailstorms over Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh till April 10.
