Crops on 14.44 lakh hectares damaged by heavy rain, says Maharashtra government

Maharashtra has witnessed extensive agricultural losses following heavy rainfall over the past few days, with crops on approximately 14.44 lakh hectares of land reported damaged across 29 districts, State Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharne said on Friday (September 5, 2025).

The period between August 15 and 20, when the rains were particularly heavy, saw the most damage, according to the Minister. As many as 191 talukas have been affected, with kharif crops suffering damage in 654 revenue circles. Twelve districts alone reported losses exceeding 10,000 hectares each.

Nanded was the hardest hit, with around 6.20 lakh hectares affected, followed by Washim and Yavatmal at 1.64 lakh hectares each. Dharashiv reported damage to 1.50 lakh hectares, while Buldhana, Solapur, Akola, and Hingoli saw losses ranging from 40,000 to nearly 90,000 hectares.

The crops impacted include soybean, cotton, maize, urad, tur, and moong. In addition, several areas reported damage to vegetables, fruits, bajra, sugarcane, onion, jowar, and turmeric, officials said.

“Assessment work to document the crop losses is nearing completion, and immediate relief measures will be provided to the affected farmers. Not a single farmer will be left out,” Mr. Bharne stated. “This exercise is being carried out under the guidance of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar. The government remains committed to supporting the farming community.”

The full list of districts affected includes Nanded, Washim, Yavatmal, Buldhana, Akola, Solapur, Hingoli, Dharashiv, Parbhani, Amravati, Jalgaon, Wardha, Sangli, Ahmednagar, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Beed, Latur, Dhule, Ratnagiri, Chandrapur, Satara, Nashik, Kolhapur, Sindhudurg, Gadchiroli, Raigad, and Nagpur.