By ARUN PRATAP SINGH
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 21 Sep: The latest assessment of crop damage caused by rain and natural disasters in Uttarakhand has revealed that 41.908 hectares of crop area have been affected across the state since the beginning of the monsoon season. The Agriculture Department report records crop damage in different categories, including less than 33 per cent and more than 33 per cent, besides cases where crops have been completely or badly affected. The report covers damage to the paddy, manduwa, jhangora, maize, wheat, vegetables and other crops. As per the report prepared by the Agriculture Department, Champawat is the worst affected district, accounting for 27.390 hectares of the total affected area.
The monsoon season has proved difficult for farmers in Uttarakhand this year, with continuous rainfall, instances of very heavy rain and waterlogging damaging standing kharif crops in several areas. With the withdrawal of the monsoon having begun after 15 September, the latest assessment by the Agriculture Directorate provides a picture of the crop damage recorded so far.
According to the report, a total of 41.908 hectares of crop area has been affected in the State between 1 June and 17 September. The highest damage has been recorded in Champawat at 27.390 hectares, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the total affected area reported across Uttarakhand.
Champawat has reported the highest crop damage in the State, with 27.390 hectares affected. The figure comprises 16.050 hectares in Champawat area, 7.950 hectares in Pati, 2.850 hectares in Barakot and 0.540 hectares in Lohaghat. The combined figure for these four areas comes to 27.390 hectares.
The extent of damage in Champawat assumes significance as the district alone accounts for the largest share of the total 41.908 hectares of affected crop area recorded in the state. The report has also classified the crop damage in these areas under different categories. Champawat is also the Assembly constituency represented by CM Pushkar Singh Dhami.
Rudraprayag has emerged as the second major affected district, with 5.105 hectares of crop area affected. Several entries in the Ukhimath area relate to damage caused by debris and soil erosion. These include 2.000 hectares in Khalian, 0.150 hectares in Paundhi, 0.110 hectares in Liswalta, 0.265 hectares in Dharkudi, 1.000 hectares in Pujargaon, 1.200 hectares in Kimana and 0.380 hectares in Raidi.
The report records damage to manduwa and other crops commonly grown in the hill areas, indicating that the impact of the adverse weather was not confined to a single crop but extended to a range of local kharif crops.
In Nainital around 5.000 hectares of the crop area has been reported to be affected, with the damage recorded in the Okhalkanda area. The affected crops include maize, manduwa, fruit-bearing crops, vegetables, coarse grains and other crops. The 5-hectare figure makes Nainital one of the districts accounting for a significant share of the total crop damage recorded in the State.
In Uttarkashi, 3.550 hectares of crop area has been affected. The report records 1.200 hectares in the Naugaon area, 0.750 hectares in another entry, 0.400 hectares in Dunda and 1.200 hectares in Mori. The damage is thus spread across several areas of the district and includes manduwa and other hill crops.
Almora has reported 0.590 hectares of affected crop area. The damage includes 0.430 hectares in Chaukhutiya, with separate entries of 0.208 and 0.012 hectares, besides 0.030 hectares in Takula, including another entry of 0.020 hectares. The report also records 0.030 hectares in Digra, 0.010 hectares in Agra Rokhakudi and 0.090 hectares in Hawalbagh.
Chamoli has reported 0.140 hectares of affected crop area, with the damage recorded in the Nandanager area in entries of 0.08 and 0.06 hectares. Haridwar has reported 0.133 hectares of affected crop area. In contrast, the report records the affected area in Dehradun, Pithoragarh, Pauri and Tehri as 0.000 hectares.
The report also provides a break-up according to the extent of crop damage. Of the total 41.908 hectares of affected crop area, 0.4580 hectares falls under the category of less than 33 per cent crop damage, while 31.791 hectares is recorded under the category of more than 33 per cent crop damage. The report also contains separate figures of 6.8398 hectares, 0.3510 hectares, 5.723 hectares and 1.042 hectares under different damage or affected-area categories.
The figure of 31.791 hectares represents only the area falling under the category of more than 33 per cent crop damage and should not be treated as the total crop damage in the state. The total affected crop area reported by the Agriculture Directorate is 41.908 hectares.
Although the monsoon has started withdrawing from the state now, the damage caused during the season has added to the difficulties of farmers. The extent of damage has varied considerably from district to district, with some districts reporting no affected area in the latest assessment while several hill districts have recorded damage running into several hectares.
The Agriculture Directorate’s assessment represents the crop damage recorded so far, and the figures could change if further rainfall during the monsoon withdrawal period causes additional damage. A final assessment after the season is over is expected to provide a clearer picture of the actual losses suffered by farmers.
Meanwhile, farmers’ representatives have called for farmers to be given priority while distributing relief from the disaster fund. The farmers remind that they depend on loans to meet the expenses of cultivation and any delay in financial assistance could further aggravate their difficulties.
