Maharashtra heavy rainfall damaged over 1 lakh ha paddy crops

Farmers reported that harvested paddy stored for drying has been washed away or spoiled, while standing crops in the fields have been submerged.
| Photo Credit:
ARUN KULKARNI

Heavy rainfall across Maharashtra, particularly in the coastal Konkan region, has caused extensive damage to paddy crops, compounding farmers’ woes as the kharif season nears its end. The rains that lashed the state at the end of October and continued into early November, have affected more than one lakh hectares of paddy cultivation, according to preliminary estimates.

The Konkan belt — comprising Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri, Raigad, Palghar, and Thane districts — is the state’s primary paddy-growing region. Farmers reported that harvested paddy stored for drying has been washed away or spoiled, while standing crops in the fields have been submerged. Many crops, which were in the final stage of harvest, were also infected by pests such as tudtude ( plant hoppers), karpa (blight diseases), and kada karpa (sheath blight) following the prolonged wet spell.

Damage across the State  

According to state government data, the Konkan region accounts for nearly 3.92 lakh hectares of kharif cultivation, most of which is paddy. Across Maharashtra, paddy is sown on about 15.91 lakh hectares — roughly 10.4 per cent of the state’s total kharif area. Other districts, including Pune, Sangli, Kolhapur, and Nashik, also grow paddy, and reports suggest that these regions have not been spared either.

In Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri, and Raigad, farmers said the downpour had caused unprecedented losses. “Consistent rains have damaged almost all crops, but paddy is the mainstay of our economy. Losing this kharif crop will severely affect rural livelihoods,” said G. S. Jadhav, a farmer from Kankavli.

State Agriculture Minister Dattatraya Bharne confirmed that both the coastal and inland regions have suffered major losses. The damage is severe because not only standing crops, but even harvested paddy kept for drying has been destroyed, he said. Bharne added that the government has instructed agriculture department officials to conduct a detailed survey of crop losses and assured that compensation measures will be taken to help affected farmers recover.

Heavy rains  

According to the agriculture department, Maharashtra has received an average of 1,145.3 mm of rainfall this monsoon — about 117.6 per cent of the state’s average rainfall. While this surplus rainfall has benefited some regions, the untimely showers in the coastal belt have turned into a nightmare for thousands of paddy farmers.

Published on November 5, 2025