Severe damage to crops due to heavy rains

777 mm rainfall till date: 196 mm above average rainfall

Aurangabad:

Kharif crops are getting damaged due to excessive rainfall in the district. Guardian minister Sandipan Bhumre on October 17, had ordered Panchnama to be done to assess the damage, but there is still no movement at the administrative level.

Aurangabad district was included in the districts where more than 33 percent crop loss occurred due to incessant rains. The government announced an aid of Rs 17.50 crore last week. However, due to the heavy rains, the crop damage has started to increase. A total of 778 mm rain has fallen in the district so far. It has rained 196 more than the average.

The district has received as much rain in October as the average rainfall in the four months of the monsoon season. Around 150 mm of rain fell in each month. Due to continuous rainfall, the damage to the crops has increased. Soybeans and cotton crops are not guaranteed to get their full potential yield at present.

98 percent sowing in Kharif

This year, 98 percent sowing was done in the Kharif season in the district. Soybean and cotton crops were highly sown. A total of 6.71 lakh hectares area is under cultivation. By the end of October 17, 98 percent of crop loans were distributed. This year, Rs 135 crore was the target for crop loan distribution, however, Rs 132 crore loan was allocated.