2-member Central team visits Nashik to inspect crop loss

A two-member team from the Union government on Friday visited Nashik district in Maharashtra to assess crop loss due to unseasonal rains last month.

The team comprised Deena Nath, adviser in the Union finance ministry's expenditure department, and Suc=bhash Chandra, director in the Centre's farmers welfare department, local officials said.

They inspected damaged maize, soybean, grapes, chilli, onions, jowar, bajra, groundnut and other crops, said officials.

During a review meeting here, divisional commissioner Rajaram Mane informed that 21.58 lakh hectares of land has been affected due to the unseasonal rain in Nashik division which includes Nashik, Jalgaon, Dhule, Nandurbar and Ahmednagar districts.

Out of the 1,961 villages in the district, 1,678 villages cultivate Kharif crops whereas 283 villages cultivate Rabi crops.

Accordingly, sowing was done on 4,95,525 hectares of land during the 2019-20 Kharif season in the district.

But due to the unseasonal rain in October-November, as many as 1,958 villages and crops on 6,47,315 hectares of land were affected.

As many as 52,258 hectares of paddy, 60,103 hectares of soybean, 72,933 hectares bajra, 2,05,000 hectares maize, 54,408 hectares onion and 55,965 hectares grapes crop has been affected due to the unseasonal rain, Nashik collector Suraj Mandhare informed.

As compensation for crop loss, a sum of Rs 599 crore is needed, of which Rs 181 crore have been received, district superintendent agriculture officer Sanjeev Padwal informed during the meeting.

As part of the Pradhan Mantri Bima Yojana, insurance of 1,27,870 hectares of land belonging to 1,93,393 farmers has been decided.

There are 12,37,313 livestock in the district and 2,02,776 metric tons of fodder is required monthly, but due to unseasonal rain in October, fodder production has reduced by 60 per cent, officials added.