Floods Ravage Agriculture in Jammu Province; Over 1.4 Lakh Hectares Damaged, Losses Run into Crores

Jammu, Sept 7: Unrelenting rains and flash floods have wreaked havoc on Jammu's agricultural sector. Official assessments reveal that over 1.40 lakh hectares of farmland have been damaged, with more than 90,000 hectares suffering losses exceeding 33%. Approximately 6 lakh farmers have been directly impacted, with paddy and maize being the worst-hit crops.

District-wise Breakdown

Districts have borne the brunt of the floods as follows: Udhampur: 23,688 ha • Jammu: 19,441 ha • Kathua: 7,671 ha • Reasi: 12,717 ha • Doda: 10,067 ha • Kishtwar: 13,280 ha • Ramban: 11,124 ha • Rajouri: 3,256 ha • Samba: 320 ha • Poonch: 216 ha.

Extent of Damage

Entire swaths of farmland in Garkhal, Pargwal, Khour, Jourian, Pallanwala, Makwal, and Tawi Island have been buried under thick silt. In the Kandi belt—villages like Birpur, Mandal, Purmandal, and Dansal—maize farms were flattened by the extreme downpour and winds.

Pulses, Fodder in Crisis

In addition to staple crops, nearly 1,000 hectares each of pulses and fodder crops were also destroyed, raising fears of a looming fodder shortage.

Voices from the Field

“So much rain fell that paddy fields got covered with silt… the Government must provide compensation,” said Manohar Singh from Khour block. Local resident Shakti Sharma of Pallanwala warned, “Green fodder for cattle has been completely destroyed… our only hope now is Government relief.”

Government Response & Relief Measures

Agriculture Director Jammu, Anil Gupta, confirmed that initial surveys have been completed and a detailed damage assessment is underway. For farmers not registered under PMFBY, claims totaling ₹135 crore have been filed with the State Disaster Relief Fund and are expected to be disbursed within a month. Registered farmers are urged to file claims online for faster processing. Joint teams from agriculture and revenue departments are documenting crop losses, while four farmer facilitation centers have been set up in Badyal Brahmana to expedite uploads.

Fast-Tracking Relief

Gupta emphasized, “Our officers are working on a war footing to register complaints and facilitate relief.” He confirmed instructions have been issued to speed up damage assessment reports and initiate immediate relief measures.

Source: Daily Excelsior (Read original)

Labels: Flood Damage, Agriculture Loss, Jammu Province, Farmer Relief, Crop Compensation

Tags: #Floods2025 #JammuAgriculture #CropLoss #FarmerRelief #DailyExcelsior

Disclaimer: This is a rewritten summary based on reporting by Daily Excelsior. Jammu News Portal does not assume responsibility for the accuracy of external content.