Rains, hail storms hit grape crop in Nashik

Rains, hail storms and severe cold at different places in the district over the mid week has raised concerns among the farmers. Hail storms hit Karsul near Pimpalgaon, Davatwadi and some parts of Narayan Tambhi in the same belt of Nashik district, which caused damage to the berries of the grapes which have reached a plucking stage.

The season of grapes is about to start and the farmers have been waiting for the final ripening stage before they pluck the berries for the harvest. Just a little before they could do so, hail storms hit the region causing a huge financial loss to the farmers.

“Due to unseasonal rains and hail storms in different parts of the district, the grape farmers have suffered badly. The impact is evident after three-four days. We met the agriculture and guardian ministers and have requested the government to conduct the survey. Likewise panchanamas have begun from Saturday and the estimates of damage will be clear after the survey is complete.

We have also demanded that the affected farmers who have taken loans for the grape crop be assisted financially”, stated Kailas Bhosale, president, Nashik zone, Grape Growers’ Association (Draksha Utpadak Bagayitdar Sangh).

Varieties of grapes like Nanasaheb Purple, Jumbo, Sharad seedless and Flame have been affected the most. Berries have cracked or dropped, leaves have cracked, and the plant has been infected with fungus. To control the spread of the fungus, the farmers will now have to resort to using pesticides and this will increase the cost of production.

The rains and fog have also damaged other crops like cotton, maize, wheat and pomegranate in Malegaon, Nandgaon, and Niphad.