The hailstorm that struck Tsirang last month damaged cereals, vegetables, and fruit trees belonging to over 450 households in the district. The affected Gewogs are Sergithang, Pungtenchhu, Tsirang Toed, and Semjong. Following the disaster, Tsirang district administration has submitted a detailed damage assessment report to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock.
According to the report, the hailstorm caused an estimate production loss of more than 640 metric tonnes of cereals, vegetables, and fruits.
It resulted in an estimated financial loss of over Nu 25 M for farmers in the four gewogs.
The District Agriculture Officer said the affected gewogs reported damages ranging from 30 to 90 per cent of the annual production.
Farmers of the affected gewogs heavily depend on agriculture to sustain their livelihoods.
In Sergithang Gewog alone, the hailstorm had affected 85 households. Acres of chillies, maize, buckwheat, and watermelon fields were damaged by the hailstorm.
Similarly, in Semjong Gewog, mandarin orchards, other fruit trees, and vegetables belonging to 192 farmers suffered damages.
The hailstorm also damaged mandarin orchards, chillies, and maize fields in Tsirang Toed Gewog affecting 55 households.
Likewise, in Pungtenchhu Gewog, mandarin orchards, chillies, and maize belonging to 120 households were damaged by the natural calamity.
The district experienced a similar hailstorm in April 2024 which damaged vegetables and cereals on more than 290 acres of farmland and affected over 58,000 fruit trees belonging to 1,200 households in the district.
The disaster has once again highlighted the importance of farmers insuring their crops and livestock as none in the four gewogs has insured.
Pema Tshewang, Tsirang
