Agriculture Minister Bharne inspects soybean crop damage, promises help

The government stands firmly behind farmers to ensure they get priority benefit of crop insurance and loan waiver schemes, Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharne said. Bharne visited the farm of farmer Sopan Chakor in Pimple village in Sangamner taluka to inspect the soybean crop damaged by drought-like conditions. On noticing that some farmers in Pimple village were facing difficulties in getting crop insurance, he directed the agriculture and revenue departments to take urgent action within the current kharif season itself.

The minister said it was his duty to stand firmly by farmers during this difficult drought period. He directed the district administration to ensure government scheme benefits reach farmers by visiting their farms directly. He also instructed that urgent measures be taken on farming, animal husbandry, fodder and water scarcity. A detailed notification on assistance to farmers, through the central government's Disaster Management department and the state government's Relief and Rehabilitation department, will be issued soon. The minister said this will cover all forms of assistance and that the government is committed to providing relief to affected farmers.

While inspecting the soybean crop, the minister found that the crop had been completely destroyed due to lack of rain, and he consoled the farmers. "I am a farmer myself and have experienced the pain and hardship of farmers, so I share in their suffering and will stand firmly for all assistance available from the government," Bharne said. He also directed the relevant department of Mahavitaran to ensure timely provision of DP units and transformers so that farmers do not face difficulties in water supply.

Crops in Ahilyanagar district have been damaged due to a break in rainfall. Sowing of moong stands at 47.83 percent and urad at 61.45 percent, while cotton sowing has reached 91.66 percent, with the crop at the stage of forming pods, flowers and bolls. Due to lack of rain, growth has stunted and pods and flowers are falling, while sap-sucking pests and pink bollworm infestation have been observed in some areas. Soybean sowing stands at 113.03 percent, with the crop currently at the sensitive pod-filling stage. Water stress may cause pods to remain flat with thin grains, and crops on lighter soils may dry up.

Maize sowing stands at 163.34 percent, with crops at the cob-filling stage, though insufficient rain has stunted growth, likely causing a significant drop in weight. Tur (pigeon pea) sowing stands at 134.32 percent, with growth stunted due to water stress. Kharif bajra sowing stands at 63.83 percent, with the crop having dried up due to the break in rainfall. A review of the district's overall sowing and crop condition was presented by District Superintending Agriculture Officer Sudhakar Borale.