Nagpur: Gondia accounts for over half of Vidarbha’s newly declared drought-hit talukas, with local BJP MLA Vinod Agrawal calling the govt’s announcement a “sanjeevani” for farmers. Agrawal had written to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis seeking the inclusion of all the affected talukas in the list, citing the crisis faced by paddy farmers.Speaking exclusively to TOI, Agrawal said the paddy grains had failed to develop fully. “The paddy grains have not filled. The crop looks green, but because it did not get the environment and nourishment it needed, the paddy grain has not developed. There is 50% loss,” he said.Agrawal said the district received only 60% of its average rainfall this year, while crop disease and weather changes further affected yields. A survey report indicating 40% crop loss in Gondia taluka had already been submitted to the govt, he said.He also flagged inadequate irrigation, saying surface water reached less than half the area. “We cannot irrigate even 50% of the area from surface water. We depend on rain,” he said.
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