Rainfall in Maharashtra: Farmers demanded compensation for the loss from the state government, said – the rain destroyed onion cultivation in both Rabi and Early Kharif seasons.
Damage to onion cultivation due to rain. (File Photo)
Unseasonal rain has once again started wreaking havoc on the hopes of farmers in Maharashtra. The farmers of the state had not yet recovered from the August-September floods and heavy rains that from the beginning of December, the weather started troubling them again. It is raining heavily in some districts and light in some. Due to which there has been a huge loss to the onion crop of the Early Kharif season. At this time, onions of the Early Kharif season were being taken out of the fields in many districts including Nashik.
No one expected that it would rain in December. Bharat Dighole, founder president of Maharashtra Onion Growers’ Organization, said that the onion which was to be taken out of the fields within eight-ten days, it has suffered a lot due to rain. It will either start to rot or its quality will become so bad that it will have no value. Farmers are very disappointed to see their finished crop spoiled.
Damage in these districts
Dighole told that this rain is happening in the entire onion belt of Maharashtra. These include Nashik, Pune, Ahmednagar, Dhule, Satara, Solapur, Osmanabad and Jalgaon etc. Early kharif accounts for about 15 per cent of Maharashtra’s total onion production. First the farmers suffered loss of Rabi season onions and then early Kharif. Rabi season onions stored in June got spoiled due to heavy rains in August-September. Now the new crop has also been hit.
Farmers get compensation
Dighole says that the government should give compensation to the farmers who have suffered heavy losses in two seasons. Onion is a very sensitive crop with respect to water. Therefore, this time the rain will spoil its quality and its price will not be available. The rains that started in Nashik from the morning of December 1 continued till December 2. Many fields have been flooded.
Rabi season’s nursery also affected
Dighole said that this rain has also affected the nursery of Rabi season. The nursery is getting ruined due to excessive water filling in the fields. Due to which it is likely to be costly. If the nursery becomes expensive, then the cost of onion cultivation will increase. Whereas farmers are already troubled by the inflation of fertilizers, diesel and pesticides. Maharashtra produces about 40 percent of the country’s onion.
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