India, April 6 -- Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday directed ministry officials to conduct a comprehensive assessment of crop losses following unseasonal heavy rainfall accompanied by hailstorms and strong winds over the past two days across several States. He has instructed officials to coordinate closely with State authorities to gather ground-level information and evaluate the impact on farmers.

The Agriculture Ministry, in a statement, said Chouhan has instructed officials to reach out to concerned State Governments and compile damage assessments. The minister is scheduled to hold discussions with the agriculture ministers of the affected States later in the day over the extent of crop damage. Chouhan assured...