Unseasonal rains damaged crops in 42 lakh hectares in Gujarat, admits government

Unseasonal rainfall has caused widespread agricultural damage across Gujarat, affecting nearly 42 lakh hectares of farmland and impacting over 16,000 villages, according to government data. Crops such as groundnut, soybean, and paddy have suffered heavy losses, leaving farmers in financial distress.

In several regions, standing crops were washed away due to unexpected downpours. Fields in parts of Saurashtra and central Gujarat remain waterlogged, raising concerns about the upcoming Rabi season. Preliminary surveys to assess crop loss are still underway in certain districts.

Officials have been holding meetings at the state secretariat over the past few days to finalise the relief package. Sources indicated that the state government is considering providing assistance beyond the standard norms under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to ensure adequate support for affected farmers.

Following a troublesome spell of unseasonal rainfall across the state, the Gujarat government announced the purchase of crops at Minimum Support Price (MSP) to provide relief to farmers on Thursday.

“Due to the unexpected calamity of unseasonal rain, standing crops of many farmers across the state have been damaged. At such a time, the government is committed to standing with the farmers as their strength by providing financial assistance,” posted Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Wednesday.

“The state government has decided to procure farmers’ harvested crops of groundnut, soybean, moong, and urad at the minimum support price (MSP). This procurement will begin on November 9,” he added.