68,000 hectares of crop affected by rains in Maharashtra: supply of vegetables to be hit

Bhujbal said given the heavy rains, very few farmers could harvest and come to the market to sell their wares. “Arrivals were down by 50 per cent,” he said. Also business was half of usual as most of the buyers had kept their shops closed due to the rains. Bhujbal said he feels this trend would continue on Friday as well. “Most farmers would not be able to enter their fields to harvest and  thus arrivals would be hit,” he said. Bhujbal said prices would remain stable at their present level. Most vegetables are now trading above Rs 70/kg given the arrivals are lower than usual. Many of the street vegetable vendors had kept their shops shut due to the rains. On Saturday , the market would be closed for its weekly holiday which can translate into a supply crunch for the city.

Crops affected due to rains

The rains have caused damage to crops over 68,457.27 hectares of farms. Chandrapur, Jalgaon, Wardha, Amravati, Buldhana Bhandara, Dhule, Washim, Akola are among the 18 districts which have reported crop damage. Crops like soyabean, cotton, tur, rice,vegetables and onions have sustained damage. The extent of damage is expected to be revealed once the surveys are completed.