Unseasonal heavy rainfall and gusty winds from May 5 to May 21 have damaged crops and orchards in Nashik district, affecting 6,300 hectares of agricultural land. The damage has impacted approximately 20,000 farmers across 950 villages, according to the state agriculture department officials.
Onion crops sustained the most damage, with 3,000 hectares affected. Mango orchards also suffered, with 2,100 hectares damaged by the weather. Additional losses include vegetables on 600 hectares and pomegranates on 225 hectares. Bharat Dighole, president of the Maharashtra State Onion Growers Association, stated that "Summer onions, which were about to be harvested, were damaged due to heavy rainfall in the district. We want the state government to complete the filing of panchanama and provide immediate financial relief to the affected farmers."
Elsewhere, Jalgaon district experienced crop damage on 9,806 hectares due to pre-monsoon rainfall, with banana damaged on 6,100 hectares, maize on 950 hectares, and papaya on 400 hectares. Dhule district saw crop damage on around 2,500 hectares, including onions, mangoes, bananas, maize, and jowar.
The India Meteorological Department has issued a yellow alert for Nashik, Ahilyanagar, Dhule, Jalgaon, and Nandurbar districts for the next four days.
Source: Times of India
