With at least 12 of Maharashtra’s 32 reservoirs full, prospects for rabi crops in the western State are seen promising, even as a few kharif crops could also benefit if the rain stops in the next 10 days, agriculture experts have said.
According to data from the India Meteorological Department, Maharashtra received excess rainfall in 11 of the 36 districts under the influence of the south-west monsoon as of September 23. The precipitation was below normal in one district and normal in the rest.
This has resulted in the level in the State reservoirs being over 97 per cent as of September 18. At least 19 other dams are nearly full in the State, data from the Central Water Commission showed.
Per the early estimates, weeks of torrential rains left large parts of the State’s farmlands submerged. Crops spread across 28.3 lakh hectares in 30 districts have been affected.
Contributin to agri
The kharif season usually covers about 144 lakh hectares in Maharashtra, with this year’s sowing completed on 136 lakh hectares following a promising start to the monsoon. However, excessive rain has undone all the work of farmers.
Between August 1 and September 22 alone, 195 tehsils and 654 revenue circles reported heavy crop losses due to rains and floods. However, State Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharne said the crop loss assessment is still underway.
Maharashtra is one of the States that makes a significant contribution to the country’s agriculture sector, particularly in cereals, pulses, horticulture and floriculture.
It is the State that leads in agriculture exports, particularly onion, grapes, pomegranates, bananas, oranges and mangoes. Maharashtra’s exported fresh fruits valued at ₹9,500 crore, rice worth ₹6,600 crore, pulses fetching ₹2,100 crore, and onions earning ₹1,430 crore in the 2024-25 fiscal.
Need to stop by Sept-end
“The rain has resulted in loss to cotton and soybean crops, besides urad (black matpe) and tur (pigeon peas). Farms, which can manage 40-50 mm of rainfall, got waterlogged as some regions received 150-200 mm of rain,” said Ganesh Nanote, a farmer from Akola.
Maharashtra received heavy rainfall between August 26 and September 3, which resulted in the loss, he said. “If the rain stops by the month-end, the rabi season will be a good one for growers. Farmers across Maharashtra are now inclined to grow bananas, which could turn out to be good,” said Satyender Singh, Chief Executive Officer – Seeds, Crystal Crop Protection Ltd (CCPL).
“Soybean, maize, cotton and pulses in Nanded have been the worst affected over 6.2 lakh hectares. However, paddy, sugarcane, and banana, which require more water, have been relatively less affected due to excess rain,” said Naresh Deshmukh, Chief Operating Officer, Crop Nutrient Business, Deepak Fertilizers and Petrochemical Corporation Ltd (DFPCL).
Veggies, flower may gain
Dilip S Patil, Managing Director of Samarth SSK Ltd and Co-Chairperson of the Sugar Bioenergy Forum (SBF) under the Indian Federation of Green Energy, said the cotton crop has been affected, but sugarcane looked good.
The cotton crop can be saved if there is quick relief from rain, said Singh of CCPL.
Sunil Patil, proprietor of Sangli-based Vardalaxmi Trading Company, said urad faces problems, but turmeric could gain from the excess rain.
CCPL’s Singh said vegetable and flower crops would gain, though prices could rise in the short-term as, for example, 40 per cent of the marigold crop has been affected. “Any rise in prices could be short-lived,” he said.
“Farmers will go for these crops as their harvest will coincide with the wedding season around February next year. But July-September has been bad for these horticulture and floriculture growers as the standing crops were affected,” he said. Damage to the onion crop has also been reported.
Waterlogging in orchards
“The kharif and late kharif onions have been affected due to heavy rain in Maharashtra. There could be a 25 per cent loss. But farmers still hold a huge quantity of rabi onions harvested in April. This will check any price rise,” said Suvarna Jagtap, former chairperson of Lasalgaon Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) yard, the largest in Asia for the commodity.
DFPCL’s Deshmukh said onion crops have experienced waterlogging, and nurseries have been damaged. “There is a substantial reduction in the planted area. At least 50 per cent of the kharif onion and the standing crop are at risk of fungal disease and bulb rot due to excess moisture,” he said.
Prolonged waterlogging in orchards has led to root rot and fruit drop, besides the death of the plant, in pomegranates. Fertilizer could not be applied to vineyards in the vegetative stage and to canes at the development stage, while there is no reserve energy stored for the next berry-bearing season.
Singh concurred with the view, saying fruit crops have been impacted by pests and diseases like fruit rot.
Good soil moisture
“It means almost absolute zero fruit setting and affecting significant yield levels,” said Deshmukh, adding that the banana plant anchorage has been weakened. This could lead to abiotic stress, excess water stress, and aggravate root and stem diseases, especially in soil with poor drainage facilities.
Singh said the rabi season was expected to be good with sowing starting in September-end or early October. “Marigolds will grow well in the rabi season, and it is important for the wedding season,” he said.
Maize, wheat and pulses are crops that stand to gain in the rabi season due to good soil moisture and water availability. “Most of the vegetable crops will gain momentum,” said the CCPL CEO – Seeds.
Deshmukh said conditions are favourable for robust germination and vegetative growth in wheat, maize, chickpeas (chana) and vegetables with reservoirs full and soil moisture abundant, besides La Nina weather on the cards.
“Due to a better groundwater situation, the area under sugarcane, onion, potato and other vegetables will increase significantly. The area under pomegranates and bananas is expected to rise in newer geographies, where the climate is suitable and the soil is well-drained due to better groundwater recharge,” he said.
WIth inputs from Radheshyam Jadhav, Pune
Published on September 24, 2025
