IMD On Rain: In view of the possibility of unseasonal rain and hailstorm, the Meteorological Department (IMD) has advised the farmers on Saturday (March 18). The department said that in view of the forecast of rain and hailstorm in the next few days due to western disturbance, farmers of Punjab, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh should postpone the harvesting of wheat and other rabi crops for the time being.
In case of ripe crops, IMD has advised farmers to harvest crops like mustard and gram in some states at the earliest and store them in safe places. Farmers have also been asked not to irrigate the wheat crop to save it from crop failure.
It rained in many states
The IMD said that light to moderate rain and thundershowers occurred in most parts of the country in the last 24 hours. In the last 24 hours, hailstorm occurred in Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, West Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rayalaseema in Andhra Pradesh and North Interior Karnataka. In its latest forecast, IMD said that on March 19, there is a possibility of thunderstorm, lightning, storm and hailstorm at different places in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.
Gave this advice to the farmers
It has been said that on March 20, the same is likely to happen in West Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, East Rajasthan and Uttarakhand on March 21. Strong winds and hail can damage standing crops, injure people and livestock in open areas, and cause partial damage to weak structures due to strong winds. The IMD has advised farmers in Punjab, Haryana and West Madhya Pradesh to postpone harvesting of crops and if already harvested, store them in safe places to avoid damage.
Advised not to irrigate wheat crop
Farmers have also been asked not to irrigate the wheat crop to save the plant from falling. Farmers of Rajasthan have been advised to harvest mature mustard and gram as soon as possible and store them in a safe place. Similarly, farmers of East Madhya Pradesh have been asked to harvest mustard, gram and wheat immediately and keep them in a safe place. Farmers in Maharashtra have been asked to harvest wheat, pulses and grapes immediately.
IMD said that harvesting of crops in Marathwada should be stopped for the time being. Use ‘skirting bags’ or aluminum-lined paper on bunches of grapes to protect them from rain. Use hail netting to protect orchards.
yield may be affected
Rajbir Yadav, wheat breeder at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), said the current unseasonal rains, hailstorm and strong wind are not good for the standing wheat crop and may affect its yield. Wheat is the main rabi (winter) crop and harvesting has already started in some parts of the country. The government has estimated a record wheat production of 112.2 million tonnes for the crop year 2022-23 (July-June).
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