India, April 9 -- Punjab agriculture and farmers welfare minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian on Wednesday urged the Centre to immediately send a high-level team to assess the damage caused to wheat and other rabi crops by recent rainfall and hailstorm.

According to a preliminary assessment by the state agriculture department, crop loss has been reported on over 1.3-lakh acres across the state.

In a letter to Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Khudian highlighted the severe impact of inclement weather on wheat crop in the state. Wheat was sown over 35 lakh hectares during the current rabi season. The incessant rainfall and hailstorm have caused significant damage, pushing the farming community into deep distress, Khudian added....