Agri Minister takes stock of crop losses from hailstorm, heavy rainfall as fresh Western Disturbance looms
Chouhan instructed officials to reach out to the relevant state governments and conduct damage assessments, the Ministry of Agriculture said in a statement.
The minister is scheduled to hold talks with agriculture ministers of the affected states later in the day about the extent of crop damage.
Chouhan assured the farmers that the Modi government is with them in this hour of crisis.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned that a fresh Western Disturbance will affect Northwest India from April 7 and trigger widespread rainfall, thunderstorms and hailstorms in Jammu-Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh by April 10. Storms with speeds up to 70 km per hour are likely to occur in parts of Northwest and Eastern India.
Hailstorms, the main cause of crop losses, are expected in Jammu-Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan on April 7-8 and in Eastern Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Maharashtra and Marathwada on Sunday. Bihar, Jharkhand and Gangetic West Bengal will remain in the hailstorm zone until April 8.
Heavy rain warnings will remain in force for Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal, Kerala and Mahe until April 6, and for Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya until April 9-10. Interior parts of Karnataka, Telangana and Rayalaseema are facing continued storm activity throughout the week. Maximum temperatures in Northwest India are expected to drop by 3-5 degrees Celsius between April 7 and 10, coinciding with the new disturbance, while Eastern India will see a gradual decline of 3-4 degrees Celsius between April 5 and 8.
