With farmers especially apple growers suffering around 15-20 crop losses due to hailstorms every year, experts call for identifying management practices and developing indigenous technologies to address the issue.
85 progressive farmers from the state and scientists from several premier institutions of the country took part in a workshop at Nauni based Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry (UHF) on the issue.
The majority of farmers, with prior experience working in the areas where anti-hail guns have been operational, were in favour of developing newer and cheaper technologies. The farmers said the machines were not 100 percent full proof against hailstorms.
Sharing their problems, apple growers said there should be proper scientific verification of installation sites of existing machines.
Many farmers said hail had a much more severe effect on several thin-skinned vegetables and fruits like cherry and tomato.
The farmers pegged their losses between 15-25 per cent and any hail event during the flowering stages had a severe impact.
The Director-General of Meteorology at India Meteorological department Dr Anand Sharma said though the data regarding the apple production was available, there was an urgent need for long-term quality data regarding the maximum and minimum losses caused due to hail including the size and quantity of hail.
UHF Environmental Science department head SK Bhardwaj said the workshop focused on identifying suitable hailstorm management practices and assessing its frequency, and crop losses.