Rain gap hits soybean on 40,000 hectares in Naigaon taluka; only 507 mm of rain this season

Naigaon: A month-and-a-half-long break in the rains has badly hit soybean on about 40,000 hectares in the taluka. The rain stopped just as the pods were filling, and in many places the standing crop has dried up. Jowar and cotton have also stopped growing, and farmers fear the kharif season is lost.

All revenue circles in the taluka have recorded only 507 mm of rain so far this year, compared with more than 900 mm in the same period last year. The Uttara and Hasta nakshatra periods passed without rain, and the returning monsoon also failed. The soil has lost its moisture, leaving farmers wondering how to sow the rabi crop.

Drinking water is also becoming a problem, with shortages being felt in some hamlets and tandas in the Gangan Beed, Naigaon, Narsi, Kuntur, Manjaram and Barbada circles. There are demands for tanker water where needed, quick loss assessments and aid under the rules, crop insurance relief for eligible farmers and employment guarantee works.

Farmers plan for Dussehra and Diwali, their children's education and loan repayments around the kharif harvest, and there are fears that a poor crop will also hit trade in rural markets.

Source: Pudhari