Untimely rains and a hailstorm destroyed crops and orchards spread over 90,000 hectares in Yavatmal district in the last fortnight, official sources said.

Crops of wheat and gram on 87,881 hectares of land was wiped out, while vegetables spread over 1,036 hectares was destroyed, sources in the Agriculture Department said.

“Fruits such as oranges, papaya and lemon were also destroyed, and the area under cultivation comes to over 882 hectares. The highest destruction was recorded in Pusad, where crops on 22,000 hectares was badly hit,” District Agricultural Superintending Officer D I Gaikwad said.

“Barring Maregaon tehsil, all the 15 other tehsils in the district have been affected by the natural calamity,” he said.

However, he was unable to spell out the exact damage caused by the rain and hailstorm that lashed across the district on February 22 and March 9.

According to the District Collector Ashwin Mudgal, almost all the tehsils in the district have been badly affected.

“I have ordered a spot panchnama by revenue and agriculture department officials and the report would be available by tomorrow evening,” Mudgal said, adding that the report would be submitted to the State Government for further action.

When asked if the Government could help the affected farmers at a time when the model code of conduct was imposed, the Collector said it was a natural disaster and there was no hindrance of the model code with regard to the grant of financial assistance to hard-hit farmers.

Meanwhile, MPCC President Manikrao Thakre has urged the State to grant instant relief to the hailstorm-hit farmers in Maharashtra.

In a press release here, Thakre said, “The untimely rains and hailstorm have destroyed farm produce and it is the duty of the State Government to provide instant relief to the affected farmers in Maharashtra.”

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