Diwali Marred for Farmers as Unseasonal Rains Wipe Out Cotton Crop
2024-10-21 20:11:40
Diwali Turns Gloomy for Farmers as Unseasonal Rains Destroy Cotton Crop, Causing ₹15 Lakh Loss
Unseasonal rains in Gujarat’s Amreli district have dealt a severe blow to farmers, leaving many facing heavy financial losses. In Chamardi village of Babra taluka, a farmer’s 90 bigha cotton crop has been completely destroyed, resulting in an estimated loss of around ₹15 lakh.
Manubhai Kanjibhai Selia, a farmer from Chamardi, cultivates cotton, groundnut, and soybean using traditional farming practices and has consistently achieved strong yields in previous years. Typically, he harvested 80–90 maunds of cotton and 45–50 maunds of groundnut annually.
Recalling the damage, Manubhai said, “I had sown cotton across 90 bighas using quality seeds, fertilizers, and proper care. However, the unseasonal rains over the past three days have completely ruined my crop. The cotton bolls have fallen, and the entire field is scattered due to heavy rainfall. There is no chance of recovery, leaving us in deep distress.”
He added, “Last year, I produced around 1,800 maunds of cotton from the same land, and this year too the crop was ready for harvest. Unfortunately, the untimely rains struck just before picking and ginning. Now, production may not even reach 500 maunds, with nearly 1,000–1,200 maunds already damaged. Had the crop remained intact, the estimated loss stands at nearly ₹15 lakh.”
Farmers across the region are grappling with similar setbacks, highlighting the growing vulnerability of agriculture to erratic weather patterns.
