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Kharif crops in Rajasthan have been hit by heavy rainfall last fortnight, said commodity traders.
According to traders, in August, kharif crops were drying due to scanty rainfall for 20-25 days. Now, the problem of damage and rotting of crops may arise as agricultural fields are filled with rainwater.
Major crops such as moong, bajra, maize, soybean, groundnut, and cotton are most impacted.
Also, it is feared that moong-moth, groundnut, millet, guar, and maize crops may be damaged in the next few days if the incessant rains continue.
Jaipur’s guar trader Ramavtar Khandelwal said that there is a possibility of more crops being damaged in Kota, Bundi, Baran, Manoharthana, and Sawai Madhopur areas. Few crops in the Sikar district of the Shekhawati belt have also been damaged.
However, he said that the percentage of damage cannot be determined right now. “The guar crop was sown late in western Rajasthan, so there has been no damage to the guar so far.”
He said that there is not much possibility of damage to pearl millet (bajra) as its sowing was also delayed this year.
Shyam Natani, a moong trader from Jaipur, said that any rain in the future will damage the crop as water has started filling in the fields.
According to trade estimates in the Hanumangarh area, 30 per cent of the cotton crop has been affected.
