State Orders Rapid Assessment Following Large-Scale Crop Damage
Officials said that unseasonal rain, gusty winds and hailstorms between March 30 and April 2 alone damaged crops across 16 districts, impacting 81,838 hectares of farmland.
Mumbai: Unseasonal rains and hailstorms during March and early April have caused widespread damage across Maharashtra, affecting 29 districts and crops over an estimated 5,12,087 acres (2,04,835 hectares), according to Maharashtra Agriculture department’s primary report. Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharne has ordered immediate damage assessment and assured prompt relief to affected farmers. Mr Bharne said the concerned administrative machinery has been instructed to immediately carry out panchanama (assessment of damages) of the losses.
According to Agriculture Department ,the unseasonal rains between March 14 and April 2 affected 29 districts across Maharashtra, damaging 5,12,087 acres (2,04,835 hectares) of crops. Nashik, Dhule, Ahilyanagar and Jalgaon have badly been hit in the last 20 days.
Officials said that unseasonal rain, gusty winds and hailstorms between March 30 and April 2 alone damaged crops across 16 districts, impacting 81,838 hectares of farmland. The worst-affected districts include Nashik (31,397 hectares), Dhule (12,753 hectares), Ahmednagar (11,163 hectares), Jalgaon (11,031 hectares), Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (8,769 hectares) and Pune (2,578 hectares).
According to a primary assessment report by the state agriculture directorate, the damage spans a wide range of crops including wheat, onion, maize, jowar, bajra, pulses and vegetables, along with fruit crops such as grapes, pomegranate, mango, banana, papaya, citrus fruits and flowers. Agricultural areas in Latur, Buldhana, Kolhapur, Satara and Thane have also reported losses, though on a relatively smaller scale.
Officials said the crop damage occurred mainly during April 1–2, with some regions like Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar witnessing adverse weather since March 30.
The Agriculture Minister said that unseasonal rains have caused large-scale losses to farmers across the state, with farmers in nearly 29 districts affected by the disaster. “All necessary steps are being taken at the government level to ensure that affected farmers receive assistance at the earliest,” Mr Bharne said. He also appealed to farmers not to lose hope, stating that the government stands firmly with them. Mr Bharne added that the compensation process will be expedited to provide timely relief to every affected farmer.
