Parts of Nashik district witnessed cloudburst-like rainfall from Saturday noon to early Sunday morning, causing severe damage to crops. Over just 13 hours, around 38,554.6 hectares of farmland have been affected, according to an initial estimate by the district agriculture department.
The heavy rains have impacted 806 villages, with 76,558 farmers facing significant losses. The crop damage assessment (panchanama) is currently underway. The reported losses are primarily from areas that recorded more than 40mm of rainfall. However, even regions with less than 40mm of rain have suffered considerable damage, particularly to vegetable crops like coriander and tomatoes.
Chandwad and Yeola have been hit the hardest, with crops such as onions and corn, which were nearly ready for harvest, destroyed by the downpour. This has left farmers in a difficult situation, especially with the festival season approaching. Additionally, around 624.55 hectares of grape crops have been damaged, though experts believe the actual loss is likely higher than reported.
The situation is particularly grim for farmers, as the unexpected rainfall has brought heavy losses just before the harvesting season.