Gujarat: Sesame, millet crops suffer extensive damage due to continuous rain

The extended spell of heavy rain in Saurashtra has caused widespread damage to crops such as millet and sesame, while also threatening to affect the yield of cotton and groundnut, officials said on last Sunday even as heavy rain continued to pound many parts of the region for the second consecutive day. “The prolonged spell of rain and overcast conditions have caused extensive damage to millet and sesame seeds crops. Both the crops are either ready to harvest or in the late maturing stage, when clear sky and dry weather are required. But the continuous wet weather has led to millet seeds sprouting in the pods… Also, pods of sesame seeds have started turning black and falling off,” SR Kosambi, district agriculture officer (DAO) of Bhavnagar said. After paddy and maize, millet is the third largest grain crop this Kharif season. Farmers have sown this crop in total 1.82 lakh hectare (lh) which is 113 per cent of last three year’s average. Of the 1.82 lh, Saurashtra accounts for ...