Report on crop loss in two days

PUNE: The state agriculture department has initiated steps to ascertain the quantum of crop damage after two days of unseasonal rain which started on Saturday.
State agriculture commissioner Vikas Deshmukh said on Monday that a preliminary report about the estimated damage is expected by Wednesday.
“Two days of continuous rainfall has impacted rabi crops and horticultural activities in the state.We have asked officials to conduct surveys in their respective jurisdictions,” said Deshmukh.
He said rabi crops that may have suffered damage include onion, gram, jowar and wheat. Among horticultural crops, grape cultivation in Nashik and Sangli region may have been hit. Late flowering of mango is also expected due to the heavy rain, he added.
Farmers have said that in many parts, jowar, wheat and gram crops were ready for harvesting when the untimely rain started. These have faced losses. If rain and cloudy conditions prevail for the next few days, not only ready-to-harvest crops, but even those that have yet to mature will suffer.Leader of opposition in the state legislative council Dhananjay Munde has demanded that the state government give immediate relief to farmers after assessing the crop damage.
Munde, who is on a visit to drought-affected districts of Nanded and Parbhani, said the unseasonal rains have affected the Rabbi crops as well as mango and cashewnut crops. “Farmers are already affected with drought. This is another calamity now,” Munde said in a statement. Munde, who will undertake a visit to Latur district, questioned why the Union government has not sanctioned even the drought relief package.