Drought and hailstorm destroyed 85 pc crops in HP; Kisan Sabha

Shimla, May 15 (UNI) Himachal Pradesh unit of the Kisan Sabha today criticised the state government for failing to adequately compensate farmers who had lost 85 per cent of their crops due to drought and hailstorm in the state.

The farmers of the state had suffered an estimated loss of Rs 1,100 crore due to the prevailing drought and hailstorm in the state, Sabha's state Vice President Sanjay Chauhan said in a release here.

He claimed that the cost of producing vegetables and fruits was rising steadily due to the increase in the prices of the pesticides and fertilizers, while the farmers were not getting remunerative prices for their produce, badly hitting their economy.

Urging the state government to include the crops and vegetables under the crop insurance scheme, Mr. Chauhan said the state government should also provide the affected farmers ration at cheap rates.

The Kisan Sabha leader said the government should also initiate developmental works in rural areas to provide those farmers whose 100 per cent crops were destroyed due to natural calamities.

UNI AS HS PK VC1910