Maharashtra: Heavy Rains Damage 30% Cotton Crop Area in Nashik Region
Nashik: Intense rainfall last month has caused major damage to cotton crops across the Nashik region, impacting nearly 2.75 lakh hectares—about 30% of the total cotton cultivation area this season.
The Nashik division, which includes Nashik, Jalgaon, Dhule, Nandurbar, and Ahilyanagar districts, had around 9 lakh hectares under cotton cultivation this year. Among these, Jalgaon leads with 4.36 lakh hectares, followed by Dhule (1.81 lakh ha), Ahilyanagar (1.5 lakh ha), Nandurbar (1.07 lakh ha), and Nashik (30,224 ha).
According to the state agriculture department’s initial assessment, crop losses have varied across districts. Ahilyanagar reported the highest damage at 1.36 lakh hectares, followed by Jalgaon with around 1 lakh hectares affected. Nashik recorded losses on 21,299 hectares, Dhule on 10,305 hectares, while Nandurbar saw minimal damage at just 622 hectares.
Farmers say the untimely rains have severely impacted cotton output. Sanjaykumar Patil, a farmer from Ganpur village in Jalgaon’s Chopda taluka, said that continuous rain and cloudy weather during September prevented cotton bolls from opening properly.
“Usually, cotton picking begins in September when sunlight helps bolls split. But this year, nearly 50% of the bolls didn’t open due to excess rain, reducing production significantly,” he said. Patil added that his yield is likely to drop from 45 quintals last year to just 18–20 quintals this season on nine acres.
Another farmer, Swapnil Patil from Erandol, also reported similar damage, noting that the fruiting stage of the crop was badly affected by heavy showers.
Data shows that cotton acreage in the region has already declined by 13.7% this year—from 10.47 lakh hectares in the 2024 kharif season to about 9.04 lakh hectares. Along with reduced area, yields are also expected to fall.
Industry experts warn of a sharp drop in production. Pradeep Jain, president of the Khandesh Ginning and Pressing Factory Owners Association, estimates that cotton output in the region could decline by more than 40% this year due to the combined impact of reduced acreage and weather damage.
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