By IANS
Shimla : The Himachal Pradesh government is considering the possibility of setting up anti-hail guns to protect standing crops during hailstorms, officials said here Tuesday.
“We are exploring the possibility of establishing ‘ant-hail guns’ in the hail-prone areas of the state to protect standing fruit crops. Hailstorms cause huge losses to farmers every year,” said state Horticulture Minister Narinder Bragta.
Marnix Van Praet, an expert from the Netherlands, made a presentation to the state horticulture minister and other top state horticulture officials here Tuesday.
Although the cost of installing such guns isn’t clear yet, Praet said one anti-hail gun has the capacity to protect crops standing in an area of about 90 hectares.
The horticulture minister asked experts of the Parmar Horticulture University in Solan, the State Technology Department and Meterological Department to closely coordinate and study the possibility of setting up these guns.