JOIN USHailstorm and unseasonal rains in Maharashtra's Marathwada and Vidarbha region resulted in a large scale destruction of crops and claimed the lives of two farmers on Sunday.
According to reports, the hailstorm has also destroyed standing crops of wheat, grapes and chickpea in Jalna, Beed, Buldhana, Washim, Amravati and Akola districts of Vidarbha and Marathwada region.
Nearly 15 minutes of a hailstorm in part of Mantha tehsil in Jalna transformed the fields white and appeared like snow-covered plains of Jammu & Kashmir. Crops like grams, chickpeas, orange, banana, wheat, jawar were damaged.
The agro-met advisory service of the Pune-based facility of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast hailstorms from 10-12 February.
"In Madhya Maharashtra, in view of hailstorm likely at isolated places, farmers are advised to complete harvesting of rabi crops before 12 February and keep the produce in a safer place," the IMD advisory stated.
Based on the IMD alerts, the Maharashtra government had on Saturday issued advisories to farmers on the climate forecast.
"The government would help the farmers, we are with them," said Co-operation Minister Subhash Deshmukh.
Agriculture Minister Pandurang Fundkar said that the district collectors and tehsildars have been asked to complete the panchanamas of the fields and assess the damage. "On Monday a meeting of the insurance companies has been convened," he said.
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil and his counterpart in the Council Dhananjay Munde has asked the government to help out the farmers without any delay.
"The assessment of damage has to be conducted as early as possible," said Vikhe-Patil. "Compensation to farmers needs to be extended fast," added Munde.