Crops and orchards spread over 90,000 hectares at Yavatmal in Maharashtra state has been destroyed in the last fortnight due to untimely rains and a hailstorm, as per report compiled by Agriculture Department. Crops of wheat and gram on 87,881 hectares of land has been wiped out, while vegetables spread over 1,036 hectares has been destroyed. Fruits such as oranges, papaya and lemon were also destroyed, and the area under cultivation comes to over 882 hectares.
All the 15 tehsils in the district barring Maregaon tehsil have been affected by the natural calamity. The highest destruction was recorded in Pusad, where crops grown on 22,000 hectares were badly hit. Besides, the department is unable to spell out the exact damage caused by the rain and hailstorm that lashed across the district on February 22 and March 9.
Meanwhile, MPCC President Manikrao Thakre has urged the state to grant instant relief to the hailstorm-hit farmers in Maharashtra.