Hailstorm damages crops in Keonjhar, farmers seek compensation

Keonjhar: Even though Nor'wester rain accompanied by hailstorm came as a much-needed relief for the people of Keonjhar amidst scorching heat; it proved to a be nightmare for farmers as acres of crops were damaged in the sudden downpour and hailstone shower.

As per sources, acres of tomato, brinjal and sunflower crops have been badly damaged by the chunky hailstones which lashed many parts of Keonjhar on Monday.

Farmers of Janardhanpur panchayat in Sadar block of Keonjhar district, who have availed loans for their crops are now worried about their future.

"The unseasonal rain and hailstorm have damaged all our crops. We depend on agriculture for our livelihood but we have lost all hopes," said a farmer, Ghasiram Tudu.

"We had sold our paddy to buy urea for the crops and had toiled hard under the sun, but everything was damaged," said another farmer Nirash Hansda.

Not only in Janardhanpur, crop-damage has been reported from several areas in the district. Therefore, affected farmers have sought help from the block and district administration.

"The crops were totally damaged in the hailstorm and as the livelihood of a farmer depends on agriculture, government should provide support," said Janardhanpur Sarpanch, Pinki Besra.

Deputy Director of Horticulture, Keonjhar, Om Prakash Rath informed that compensation to the affected farmers will be decided after receiving a ground report of the damage.

"I have asked the field staff to access the amount of damage in all the areas and submit a report. We will forward the report to the district administration, but the farmers should submit an application near the Tehsildar who will send the Revenue Inspectors to access losses so that they can avail assistance from the government," said Rath.