Vasai-Virar’s paddy crop has entered a critical stage, with farmers warning that another week without rain could cause significant losses in parts of Vasai taluka, where crops are filling grain and require additional moisture before harvesting.
Paddy is cultivated across some areas of the Vasai-Virar city region. The early-maturing varieties, known locally as halwe, are currently in the final grain-filling stage and are expected to be harvested between October 10 and 15. The medium- and late-maturing varieties, known as nim-garve and garve, are in the flowering and grain-filling stages, when the crop requires more water than during other parts of the growing season.
Farmers are concerned that a prolonged dry spell in September, combined with rising temperatures and uneven rainfall, could affect yields. Naresh Patil, a farmer from Parol, said that rainfall during the coming week could provide some relief. He also said that sowing this year was lower than last year because the monsoon arrived late, while uneven rainfall had forced some farmers to re-sow their fields.
Between 7,000 and 7,200 hectares have been planted with paddy in Vasai taluka this year, according to the report. The crop includes the halwe, nim-garve and garve varieties. The immediate concern is greatest for fields where the crop has reached the flowering or grain-filling stages, as water availability becomes more important before harvest.
The rainfall pattern has also raised questions about drought classification in Palghar district. The report states that Maharashtra has seen a drought shadow, with 265 of the state’s 358 districts included in the drought-affected category. Thane and Palghar, however, have been excluded from that list.
Palghar’s exclusion is linked to the cumulative rainfall recorded during the monsoon period. According to the report, Vasai received 87% of its average rainfall between June and the end of September. Under the government’s stated criteria, a drought or rain-shadow trigger is automatically applied when rainfall is below 50% of average by the end of July or below 75% by the end of September. Since Vasai recorded 87% of average rainfall over the period, those conditions were not met.
That cumulative figure does not remove the pressure created by uneven rainfall during the crop cycle. The report says that rainfall was only 43% of average in August and 17% in September. Water remains available in low-lying areas and soil moisture is currently present, leaving the situation under control for now. However, farmers remain concerned that a further dry spell accompanied by strong sunshine could quickly reduce available moisture in fields.
Taluka agriculture officer Suraj Jadhav said that if there is no rain over the next six to seven days and hot conditions continue, crop inspection exercises and formal damage assessments, or panchnamas, will be conducted wherever necessary. A report would then be submitted to the government.
Patil has also sought consideration of Palghar’s inclusion among drought-affected districts if the district does not receive rain during the coming week. The request places the immediate crop risk against the limits of rainfall-based classification: a district may meet cumulative rainfall thresholds while farmers in particular talukas and crop stages face acute short-term water stress.
The next official step will depend on rainfall over the coming six to seven days. If dry conditions persist, the agriculture department will undertake crop inspections and prepare damage reports for submission to the government.