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Due to heavy rains in Maharashtra in the first week of July, sowing of Kharif crops has accelerated. Till July 12, sowing has been done on 84.61 lakh hectares of land in the state, which is 59 percent of the average area of ​​Kharif crops. However, this pace is slower than last year. By the same time last year, sowing had been completed in 1.18 crore hectares i.e. 82 percent area.

The Agriculture Department says that a major reason for less sowing as compared to last year is the effect of El Nino.

Due to lack of adequate rainfall in June, only 28 percent sowing could be done in the state by the beginning of July. However, after the monsoon became active again in the first week of July, farmers got relief and sowing work progressed rapidly. According to state agriculture department sources, sowing conditions in Vidarbha and Marathwada have been satisfactory, while Konkan, Pune and Kolhapur divisions are still lagging behind.

According to Agriculture Department data, Amravati division of Vidarbha leads in Kharif sowing in the state. Sowing has been completed in 81 percent of the average cultivated area here. This is followed by Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (65 percent), Latur (63 percent), Nashik (56 percent) and Nagpur (53 percent).

At the same time, paddy planting was affected due to irregular rainfall at the beginning of monsoon in the Konkan region. Paddy seedlings sown in the first week of June dried up due to lack of rain. Later, due to good rains in July, farmers had to sow paddy again in the nurseries.

Rafiq Naikwadi, director of the agriculture department, said the sowing percentage in Konkan will appear low until the new paddy plants grow up and are ready for transplanting. He said that sowing and transplanting work is expected to intensify in the coastal areas in the second fortnight of July.

Since the distribution of rain is not uniform in all areas, Agriculture Minister Dattatreya Bharne has appealed to the farmers not to sow in a hurry. He said that sowing situation in Vidarbha and Marathwada is satisfactory, but sowing work in Pune, Kolhapur and Konkan is still not as expected.

The minister advised farmers to wait for good and continuous rains before starting sowing. He said that if farmers sow hastily after initial or sporadic rains and then there is no rain for a long time, the risk of crop failure increases. He also said that the Agriculture Department is advising farmers to grow such crops which can give good yields even with less water and can withstand drought.

In view of the damage caused by the long gap between two spells of rain, Agriculture Minister Dattatreya Bharne stressed on increasing assistance for farm ponds. He directed the officials to provide the necessary materials to the farmers to collect rain water, especially plastic lining sheets to be laid in farm ponds, as soon as possible.

The minister said that the administration is preparing to deal with a possible prolonged drought keeping in mind the coming season. Under this, a plan is being made to ensure proper distribution of resources, arrangement of fodder for animals and availability of drinking water for people.

In view of the increased problems in rural areas due to less rainfall and crop loss, the Minister said that the government is rapidly doing the work of crop loss assessment (Panchnama). He informed that the plan to provide financial assistance to the affected farmers is also being finalized. Its objective is to provide relief especially to those farmers doing rain-dependent farming, who are facing the problem of financial crisis and debt.

Minister Bharne said that the Agriculture Department has instructed all the district and local officials to ensure adequate provision of good quality seeds and fertilizers to the farmers, so that when there is a chance for late sowing after continuous rains, the farmers do not have to face shortage of seeds or fertilizers.