Hailstorms Damage Tobacco Crops In Mansehra

 Shazia Mehboob

Islamabad: Torrential rain coupled with a hailstorm not only stuck people in Hazara division but also damaged standing tobacco corps spread over more than 1000 hectares of land in Baffa Pakhal tehsil of Mansehra district and its adjoining localities.

The current series of heavy downpours in the region, particularly during the last month, not only triggered landslides and flash floods in Abbottabad which have disconnected several remote hilly areas from the cities in districts Abbottabad and Kohistan, but also badly affected crops in Mansehra. It is important to mention here that Mansehra was the worst hit by the unprecedented rain in the month of May. Tobacco Farmers Association Mansehra President Haji Rustam Khan told The PenPK.com that nobody can control natural calamities as a heavy downpour followed by a hailstorm completely destroyed the standing tobacco crops spread over a 1000-hectare area in only Baffa tehsil. There are many other parts of the district where such damages have occurred but have not been reported yet.

Rustam Khan said that tobacco is a cash crop that also provides millions of rupees for central excise duty and other taxes to the national exchequer, while this sector of agriculture also pays huge taxes to the province as Tobacco Development Cess (TDC). Association President stated that during this critical time, the provincial government and tobacco board should announce a relief package for affected growers and declare Baffa Pakhal tehsil a calamity-hit area.

Haji Rustam further said that the region has experienced severe weather patterns in the past too, but not as extreme and frequent as we have experienced in the month of May. This is the first time in the region’s history that this area has experienced torrential rain coupled with hailstorms twice in a month, damaging standing crops partially or completely. Affected farmers are now collecting leaves from their fields, he added.

Talking about the damages that occurred during the recent rains, Rustam Khan mentioned that the recent heavy downpour has forced local growers to bear losses of around Rs 30 million. Whether to call it a climate change implication or a routine weather pattern, this reality can’t be ignored: a shift in weather in the region has started showing its implications on human lives and their businesses.

The recent torrential rains heavily affected farmers in Buffa Mera, Anayatababad, Banda Pera, Trangri Sabir Shah, Malik Pur, and Sobhatabad union councils. After previous damage to crops, Deputy Commissioner Mansehra constituted a committee to assess the damage that occurred due to heavy rain and hailstorms. The committee, led by Additional Assistant Commissioner Buffa Pakhal, has compiled an assessment report on the damages, Rustam informed.

Photo Credit: Haji Rustam Khan