Summer rain may damage vegetables, but aid oil seed crops

Unseasonal rainfall over the last two days across the state may damage some summer crops but will prove beneficial for oil seed crops like groundnut and sesame.

From the beginning of March, weather was been unfavorable for agriculture because of untimely rain across the state. Earlier, it had damaged the quality of several standing Rabi crops like wheat, jeera, coriander seed, onion and mango.

But, summer oil seed crops like groundnut and sesame may reap benefit of this unseasonal rainfall as the downpour will irrigate the standing crops. Gujarat had reported water scarcity because of less rainfall last year.

"Mango, vegetables, bajra and tobacco may suffer damage as these crops are almost ready to harvest. Small-sized mangoes are likely to be cut down from trees because of heavy winds and rain in growing areas," said, a Gujarat agriculture department official.

The state government had few days back had asked farmers to remain prepared for bad weather and advised them to take care of harvested crops and standing crops. According to an agriculture department official, most of the mango growing areas across the state have not received unseasonal rainfall.

The official said, "We informed farmers about change in weather and asked them to store harvested winter crops at safer places. But, we are collecting data from field regarding damages to crops."

As on April 6, total area under summer sowing was reported on 849,400 hectares as against 1.12 million hectares in 2014 during the corresponding period. Groundnut has been covered on 44,600 hectares this year so far as against 88,600 hectares during the same period last year. Sowing of vegetable has has been done on 91,000 hectares against 176,100 hectares last year.

A R Pathak, vice-chancellor, Junagadh Agriculture University said, "Sesame and groundnut crops are in growing stage and untimely rainfall may have benefit these crops as it provided irrigation. But, it still depend on size of the plant."