Rain hits Nashik crops

Unseasonal rains have destroyed paddy, grapes and sugarcane plants

Heavy rains and hailstorms in Nashik district last weekend has sent farmers scrambling for cover. While many initially welcomed the break from the stifling October heat phenomenon, no one was prepared for the extent of damage caused by the unseasonal rains in fields across the district. Official estimates indicate that crops sowed in up to 3,000 hectares of land have been completely destroyed in the weekend deluge.

Grape growers, sugarcane planters and paddy farmers of Dindori, Sinnar, Nashik, Igatpuri, Peth, Niphad and Yeola have been the worst affected. According to officials, the incessant rains, accompanied by heavy hailstorms in some areas, has washed away more than 50 per cent of standing paddy crop in Igatpuri tehsil, destroyed 75 per cent of the grape cultivation and submerged vegetable patches across the region.

8220;Maximum damage has been reported from vineyards and paddy fields,8221; says sub-divisional collector Mahesh Patil. 8220;Dindori tehsil is one of the worst hit with nearly 145 hectares of land affected. Dhagur, Dharewadi and Rasegaon vineyards have been wiped out. Primary reports indicate losses running into crores.8221;

Agriculture department officials add that grapes that had been pruned in September end and were in the flowering stage have been washed away. In cases where the berries had formed, entire bunches have fallen under the impact of the hailstorm.

Ramdas Dhage8217;s, a grape grower from Rasegaon, losses add up to an estimated Rs 10 lakh. The fruits was due for picking next month. 8220;I had five acres under grape plantation and now there is nothing left of it,8221; says Dhage. 8220;Two days of rains have completely ruined our season. We have nothing in hand now.8221;

8220;Individual farmers have suffered big losses,8221; says D.B. Mogal, former chief of the Maharashtra Grape growers association. 8220;But on the whole, we don8217;t think production, prices or exports will be affected much. Over one lakh acres of land is under grape cultivation in Nashik district and we think that as a whole we will survive these rains.8221;

But like Dhage, hundreds of small-time vegetable growers are also counting their losses. Known for the variety of vegetables it supplies to Mumbai and Delhi, Nashik8217;s small farmers are struggling to keep their farms afloat. The rains have damaged 8220;nearly 100 per cent8221; of the tomatoes in the region, besides washing away radish, cabbage and other standing crop.

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Sugar factory owners are also worried. It8217;s been only two weeks since the crushing season in sugar factories in and around Nashik started. In an emergency meeting held after the first deluge, sugarcane growers and factory owners decided to immediately harvest the remaining crop and process it.

Meanwhile, the Met Department has predicted more thunderstorms in the region. 8220;It is a localised phenomenon in the northern and parts of western Maharashtra,8221; say officials. 8220;Heavy moisture content has resulted in thunderstorms and the weather is likely to remain the same over the next few days.8221;

Farmers are now bracing themselves for a 8220;lean phase8221;, with many worried about the extra money they will have to spend on fungicides to salvage their remaining crop. Many are also joining the political chorus for full compensation. 8220;Wait and watch8221; is what distraught farmers are being told as the administration undertakes detailed surveys to assess the damage.