Unseasonal rains and hailstorms have damaged Rabi crops across North India, raising production concerns. AIKS has demanded compensation, loan waivers and reforms in crop insurance. Punjab has ordered a special girdawari to assess wheat losses, with harvesting likely delayed and farmers facing yield loss and disease risks.
Unseasonal rains, hailstorms and strong winds have caused widespread damage to standing Rabi crops across several North Indian states, triggering concern among farmer groups and prompting governments to initiate damage assessment. The Punjab government has ordered a special girdawari to assess crop losses.
The All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) has flagged extensive losses in Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and parts of Madhya Pradesh and Bihar. Crops such as wheat, gram, maize, fruits and vegetables have been severely hit just ahead of harvesting, raising fears of a decline in overall Rabi production.
The farm body said the latest spell of adverse weather has shattered the hopes of millions of farmers and agricultural labourers who were expecting a bumper harvest. It also pointed out that many farmers are yet to recover from losses suffered during the 2025 Kharif season floods in several northern states, and compensation from that period remains inadequate or pending.
Criticising the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), AIKS alleged that the scheme has failed to ensure timely and adequate compensation to farmers while benefiting insurance companies. It has demanded immediate field surveys, full compensation, loan waivers, and bonus on procurement. The organisation has also called for revising compensation norms to include potential income losses and for introducing a more farmer-friendly public sector crop insurance system, especially in the context of increasing climate variability.
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Meanwhile, the Punjab government has ordered a special girdawari to assess crop losses caused by the recent spell of unseasonal rain. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has assured farmers that they will be compensated for the damage.
In Punjab, nearly harvest-ready wheat crops have been flattened due to rain, hail and high-velocity winds, particularly in the south Malwa and Majha regions. The weather disturbance, attributed to a strong western disturbance over North India, has led to lodging of crops in districts such as Muktsar, Fazilka, Bathinda, Amritsar and Tarn Taran.
Farmers have demanded immediate assessment, citing concerns over yield losses as well as the risk of fungal infections like black point. The rains are also expected to delay wheat harvesting by at least two weeks. Although procurement began on April 1, arrivals in mandis remain slow due to increased moisture content in the grain.
