With more than 50 per cent of their crops damaged due to cold wave conditions and heavy frost, the farmers of Sriganganagar and Hanumangarh districts in Rajasthan have developed a sense of insecurity.

On Friday, thousands of farmers from Sriganganagar district participated in a rally demanding compensation for their damaged mustard crop. In protest, all agricultural mandis remained closed.

According to the officials of Agriculture department, crops worth Rs 313.8 crore were damaged in Hanumangarh district, while Sriganganagar incurred a loss of Rs 252.5 crore.

Rajasthan is the largest producer of mustard in the country, contributing 40 per cent of the total produce. Around 7 lakh hectares of crop, out of 2.3 million hectares, were damaged.

“The farmers in these two districts have lost mustard worth over Rs 1,000 crore. In Sriganganagar, over 85 per cent crop have been damaged, while in Hanumangarh over 50 per cent have been damaged,” said Hetram Beniwal, member of the Bharatiya Kisan Sabha in Sriganganagar. If the state Government does not announce a special relief package for the affected farmers, they will be forced to close down the mandis for the entire season Beniwal said.

“We demand that the farmers be paid Rs 10,000 per hectare as compensation. Farmers of Hanumangarh and Jhunjhunu districts will also launch agitation unless the Government takes immediate steps,” he said.

According to a report prepared by the state Agriculture department, crops and green vegetables worth Rs 677 crore have been damaged in 22 districts due to the long-spell of cold wave conditions. Rabi crops, including mustard and its varieties, chana, dhania, saunf, jeera, isabgol and leafy vegetables in 9,00,000 hectares of cultivable land have been damaged with the mercury dipping to below zero degree Celsius in January.

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