Fruits, wheat, green chickpeas over 1,400 hectares damaged due to unseasonal rain: State agriculture department | Pune News

Pune: After suffering heavy losses due to monsoon floods last year, the state farmers are once again reeling under the impact of unseasonal weather during the rabi season. Preliminary assessments by the state agriculture department revealed that crops across 1,439 hectares have been damaged by heavy rainfall over the last four days.The unseasonal weather has affected a wide variety of crops, including chickpeas (harbhara), wheat, and sorghum (jowar), as well as fruit orchards, including mango, grape, and banana.According to initial reports, Dharashiv district has borne the brunt of the rainfall, with 1,014 hectares of farmland affected. Other districts which reported significant damage include Solapur, Nanded, Yavatmal, Latur, Nagpur, Chandrapur, and Kolhapur. Officials expect the damage toll to rise as rain continues to lash various parts of the state.The agriculture department clarified that while data collected up to March 18 provides a preliminary overview, formal “panchnamas” (on-site loss assessments) are still pending.“A panchnama requires a thorough, physical inspection of each affected field, which is a time-consuming process. Currently, district agriculture officials have been tasked with submitting preliminary assessments to identify the most critically affected areas,” a senior official told TOI.State agriculture minister Dattatray Bharne confirmed that officials in the affected districts have been directed to begin the formal assessment process immediately.“Heavy rain and hailstorms have severely impacted crops in several districts. With the forecast predicting more rain over the next few days, crops ready for harvest remain at high risk. We have instructed officials to conduct panchnamas and submit their reports at the earliest to ensure timely assistance,” Bharne said.Unseasonal heavy rainfall lashed parts of Nashik district on Wednesday, damaging crops on over 248 hectares.The affected crops include onion, wheat, tomato, grapes, maize and various vegetables. According to the primary assessment report by the state agriculture department, 559 farmers from 13 villages across five talukas — Kalwan, Deola, Dindori, Niphad and Sinnar — were impacted by the sudden downpour.Of the total affected area, onion crops were damaged on 125 hectares, grapes on 16, vegetables on 15, wheat on 82 and maize on 10. (With inputs from Tushar Pawar in Nashik)