Unseasonal Rains Wreck 1.59L Acres Of Crops In Maharashtra
The adverse weather, recorded between March 14 and 29, struck crops at a crucial stage of maturity, causing widespread losses across multiple regions.
Mumbai: Unseasonal rains, thunderstorms and hailstorms damaged more than 1.59 lakh acres of agricultural land across Maharashtra in March, a preliminary state report said. According to the government, two people died in rain-related incidents in the Nashik division on March 30.
The adverse weather, recorded between March 14 and 29, struck crops at a crucial stage of maturity, causing widespread losses across multiple regions. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a high alert for unseasonal rainfall from Tuesday, with a massive cloud system moving from North India over the Mumbai–Pune corridor. Pune faces a near 99 per cent probability of rain, while Thane and Kalyan are also likely to receive showers. This comes a day after intense hailstorms hit several parts of the state.
A senior official said crops on 64,573.49 hectares (1,59,564.56 acres) have been damaged in 28 districts. Nashik division reported the highest loss with 50,611.66 hectares affected. In Nashik district alone, 30,053 farmers have been impacted, with crop damage over 22,026.1 hectares. Dhule, another district in the Nashik division, recorded 13,395 affected farmers and 8,145.6 hectares of losses; Nandurbar saw 345 farmers affected across 178.8 hectares; Jalgaon reported 16,635 farmers impacted and 9,381.4 hectares damaged. Ahilyanagar district saw 29,564 farmers affected with losses spread across 10,878.76 hectares. Overall, 82,592 farmers have been affected in Nashik division due to the March 30 rainfall.
According to the agriculture department, the unseasonal weather between March 14 and 31 hit crops during the harvesting and pre-harvest stages, intensifying the impact. Ahmednagar reported the highest damage, followed by Jalgaon, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nashik and Dhule. Districts including Buldhana, Pune, Solapur and Sangli were also severely affected, indicating widespread losses across western Maharashtra, Marathwada, Vidarbha and North Maharashtra.
A range of crops has been hit, including wheat, gram, maize, jowar, onion and high-value horticultural crops such as grapes, pomegranate, banana, mango and citrus fruits. Sudden rain spells accompanied by strong winds and hailstorms caused extensive damage, officials said.
Detailed surveys are underway to assess the full extent of losses. The Relief and Rehabilitation Department is expected to announce compensation after final reports are submitted to the state government.