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.
