The IMD, Mumbai, Has Issued A Yellow Alert For Kolhapur And Sangli District, Signalling Heavy Rain Over The Next Four Days…
triggering worry among the farming community.
The kharif crops are in the harvesting stage and fruit-bearing crops such as grapes in Sangli district are in the flowering stage.
Kolhapur district agriculture superintendent Dyandeo Vakure said farmers have been advised to cut the paddy crops that are ready for harvesting immediately.
“The damage caused to paddy crops is caused mainly by the strong wind accompanying the rain. It causes uprooting or falling of standing crops. If it rains for a long period, there will be water-logging, leading to poor yield of crops such as soybean,” he said.
Mumbai-based weather expert Shantanu Patil said the rain will be mainly due to the low pressure belt in the Bay of Bengal. “The cloud bands are moving along the north-east direction. Once the atmospheric situation becomes conducive, heavy rain along with thunder will be evident at isolated places till October 15.”
In Sangli’s grape belt, the cutting of stems is under way. The application of chemical to the stem leads to flowering and then the fruit. Many such vineyards are in the flowering stage. The farmers have undertaken the stem-cutting process earlier this time to avoid damage to the fruit in case of untimely winter rain.
Shailesh Pawar, a grape farmer from Nagaj village of Sangli district, said, “After the rain alert, we have decided to get the stem-cutting done immediately. There is shortage of skilled workers. I have decided to rope in my family members and relatives.”
Last month, heavy rain damaged the pomegranate crop in Atpadi taluka of Sangli district. This time around, farmers are seen taking precautionary measures to reduce the damage to the crops if it rains.
This news was originally published at timesofindia.indiatimes.com