Unseasonal rains, hailstorms damage standing crops in large parts of India

STORY: Unseasonal rains, hailstorms damage standing crops in large parts of India DATELINE: March 23, 2023 LENGTH: 00:02:11 LOCATION: New Delhi CATEGORY: AGRICULTURE SHOTLIST: 1. various of India gate 2. various of agriculture fields 3. various of affected crop and vegetable 4. SOUNDBITE (English): VIJAY SHARDANA, Agro-economist STORYLINE: Unseasonal rains and hailstorms in large parts of India over the past three days have damaged standing crops, particularly wheat and mustard, across thousands of acres of agricultural land. The federal government is yet to release official figures on the estimate of damaged crops and the financial losses suffered by farmers. Rains accompanied by thunderstorms lashed Delhi and its surrounding areas on Monday. Reports of rains and hailstorms have flooded the media and social media platforms, with people expressing sympathies for the farmers. Agriculture in India is largely dependent on rain, but at times incessant rains also incur huge losses. Almost the whole of India