Unseasonal Rains Damage Crops in Maharashtra; Pune District Spared So Far
Pune, 17th April 2024: Unseasonal rains in the state last week caused damage to 82,264 hectares of crops across Vidarbha and Marathwada regions. The worst-affected areas were the Amravati and Akola districts, with significant losses to harvested rabi crops, summer crops, vegetables, and fruit crops.
According to the Disaster Management of the Department of Agriculture, Government of Maharashtra, as of Monday, April 15, the following areas experienced crop damage: Amravati with 53,402 hectares, Akola with 11,157 hectares, Buldhana with 6,513 hectares, Washim with 3,888 hectares, Yavatmal with 2,494 hectares, Solapur with 1,447 hectares, Beed with 1,021 hectares, Nanded with 749 hectares, Dharashiv and Wardha with 308 hectares each, Nandurbar with 122 hectares, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar with 163 hectares, Jalna with 134 hectares, Latur and Nagpur each with 95 hectares, Gondia with 45 hectares, Bhandara with 13 hectares, Gadchiroli with 11 hectares, Chandrapur with 4 hectares, and Parbhani with 3 hectares.
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In total, the unexpected rainfall damaged 82,264 hectares of agricultural land across the regions mentioned.
Unseasonal weather, including hailstorms and strong winds, has caused significant damage to crops such as bananas, papaya, oranges, mangoes, Chiku, lemons, and others. In addition, rabi wheat, sorghum, summer millet, rice, sesame, and onion crops harvested in Vidarbha have also been severely impacted.
Akola district experienced considerable loss in summer vegetable crops, which are extensively cultivated in the region. Vegetable plants in Akola are grown in greenhouses or under shed nets, which also suffered substantial damage during the storm.
Amravati district was the hardest hit by hailstorms, experiencing damage to 53,402 hectares of crops including wheat, sorghum, gram, sesame, vegetables, and various fruit crops like mango, orange, lemon, banana, and papaya. The affected talukas include Bhatkuli, Chandur Railway, Dattapur Dhamangaon, Achalpur, Anjangaon Surji, Daryapur Banosa, Morshi, Chandur Bazar, and Varud.
In Akola district’s Telhara, Akola, Barshi Takli, Murtizapur, Balapur, and Patur talukas, 11,157 hectares of onion, sorghum, vegetables, maize, banana, and mango crops were damaged.
