The farmers in the 60 villages of Punjab who prayed for rains after a dry winter spell are now wishing that they hadn’t. For even as they were preparing to harvest the toil of the past six months, an untimely spell of rain and hail has wreaked widespread destruction.The hailstorm that struck parts of Punjab a couple of days ago has completely damaged the standing crop in these villages, with wheat being the worst hit. These villages fall in Ludhiana, Patiala, Muktsar and Ferozepur districts. According to the state department of agriculture, around 55,000 hectares have been affected, while the revenue department estimates the damage to around 79,760 hectares. However, both the departments agree that the total loss of crop has been in 27,000 hectares. According to official figures provided by the state department of agriculture, wheat has taken the hardest hit as 85 per cent of the total agricultural land is under the wheat crop. However, potato has also taken a beating, with both the harvested as well as the crop yet to be harvested having perished. “Potatoes cannot tolerate moisture and some farmers had harvested their crop and piled it up in their fields. They have lost this crop too. Following potatoes is sunflower which had just been sown. Fodder has also been severely hit,” says B. S. Sidhu, director, agriculture, Punjab. The figures of cropwise damage in the state are yet to be collected. Meanwhile, 800 odd families in Jarg do not know how they will pay off their debts they had taken to grow this crop. “Everything is lost. We have not been able to eat for the past two days,” wails 65-year-old Dalbara Singh who lost his crop in 15 acres. Villages around Jarg, namely Jargari, Sirthala, Hol and ZalamgarhTurmuri have also been devastated by the hailstorm. Says Jagdev Singh of Hol: “I have never seen such weather in my lifetime. The hail came down so hard that the entire village was covered in white sleet in no time. Nothing is left, not even wheat straw for the cattle.” Another farmer Darshan Singh adds, “The government should compensate us fast, for we do not even have the money to buy food. The money was to come from this wheat crop. We need Rs 25,000-Rs 30,000 per acre. The last time this happened, the Akali government had compensated by asking all government employees to donate one day’s salary. It’s the same this time, otherwise no self-respecting farmer would beg the way we are doing.” Another farmer Bant Singh, carrying fodder crop in his hands, says, “Even my cattle will not eat this crop. It smells and I’m scared they will fall sick after eating it. We have nothing left with us now.”It’s time for the farmers to send up another prayer to the gods.
