MillenniumPost
Bengal

Untimely rain affects crops on 4.5L hectares

Kolkata: Crops on around 4.5 lakh hectares of land were badly affected due to the untimely rainfall during cyclone Jawad in south Bengal districts.

As per the preliminary reports received by the state Agriculture department, potato cultivation on around 1.36 lakh hectare was affected. Similarly, the Kharif paddy was badly affected on 2.36 lakh hectare while mustard cultivation was affected on 79,718 hectare land.

It needs a mention that south Bengal districts received untimely rainfall due to cyclone Jawad. Though harvest of paddy had been completed on 70 per cent of the cultivable areas using combined harvester, paddy cultivation on 2.36 lakh hectares were badly affected.

The state Agriculture minister also contemplates heavy damage of potato as well. The reason being rainfall has once again started in south Bengal districts from Thursday.

"Much damage would not have been caused to potato cultivation if there was no rainfall from Thursday. The soil has turned wet before it had dried after the spell of rainfall during cyclone Jawad. As a result potato cultivation on a vast area may get affected", said the state Agriculture minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay.

An assessment has been initiated to finalise the total quantum of loss that the state's agriculture sector has incurred due to the untimely rainfall.

The state Agriculture minister already held meetings with Deputy Directors of Agriculture of the six affected districts and directed to take initiative to help farmers get compensation for the damage caused to their crops under the Banglar Shashya Bima scheme.

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