CM Shinde: Unseasonal rains affected 1 lakh hectares farm land across Maharashtra

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde/ File Photo

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde disclosed that the recent unplanned rainfall in several regions of Maharashtra has damaged crops on almost one lakh hectares of farmed land, stated a report in PTI. According to the report, two deaths occurred in the Nashik district due to rain-related incidents.

Asserting that the situation was serious, Shinde instructed authorities to carry out surveys in order to precisely determine the damage and guaranteed farmers that they would receive compensation for their crop losses, the report added.

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"Authorities have been directed to conduct 'panchnama' (survey) of the damaged crops and affected farmers should be paid adequate compensation. This is the government of farmers and workers. The government will always stand behind these classes," CM Shinde said.

Based on preliminary data, the regions of Marathwada, Vidarbha, and north Maharashtra were most affected by these unexpected downpours, which had an impact on a variety of crops such as cotton, onions, grapes, and other agricultural products, stated the PTI report. According to the state's disaster management department's preliminary report, an estimated 99,381 hectares of agricultural land were damaged, affecting both conventional and cash crops.

With grape and onion plantations badly damaged, Nashik, a major centre for grape and onion cultivation, suffered the greatest losses of all the affected districts. Considerable harm was also reported to the crops of maize, papaya, and bananas in the Ahmednagar district.

In order to expedite the compensation procedures for impacted farmers, State Minister Anil Patil stressed the importance of conducting surveys in the Nashik district as soon as possible. He restated the government's resolve to promote the welfare of farmers.

"The government is always supportive of farmers and this (crop damage survey) will speed up the process to give help to farmers. Precaution should be taken to ensure no farmer is left out while conducting the panchanama. After receiving the final report, detailed discussions will be held with the chief minister and deputy CMs, and measures will be taken for farmers' welfare," he said while speaking at a meeting held at Nashik district collectorate.

Numerous regions reported extensive disruptions to farming activities, livestock losses, and home damage as a result of the devastating impact. District collector Jalaj Sharma, according to the PTI report, asked the farmers to contact the local administration if they are left out of the crop damage assessment survey.

Union Minister Kapil Patil, who emphasised the significant losses in some talukas of Thane district, urged the Chief Minister to give priority to evaluating crop damage in his Lok Sabha constituency.