DHANGADHI: A hailstorm in the far-western Nepal on Sunday night destroyed winter crops worth millions.

Kailali District Agricultural Development Office said Dhangadhi Sub-Metropolitan City and Patharaiya village sustained more damages in the district.

Farmers were worried over the destruction.

Many vegetable crops as well as red gram, banana, wheat crops sustained more damages.

The DADO Information Officer Khemraj Joshi said farmers of Patharaiya VDC were the worst hit.

"Detailed data on the loss are awaited," he added.

Bhagiram Chaudhary, Chairman of Jawalpur Mishrit Multipurpose Cooperative, said vegetables including bitter gourd, round gourd, pumpkin, cucumber and okra have been destroyed in the 12-hectare farm of his Cooperative.

He informed that the hailstones accompanied with rain destroyed winter crops in Amarawati, Khairiphanta, Jawalpur, Bhoksi, Amauri, Pahadipur, Bharmapur and Toraiyapur among other places.

According to Joshi, the winter rain would not have made such a loss if it had not been accompanied by hailstones.

He feared that the district could not achieve the production target as the farmers had suffered from unavailability of seeds and fertilisers also some months ago.

"Now the hailstorm hit the crops," he said, "The production level would deteriorate further."