Belagvi: Already heavy rain in Maharashtra’s Pune, Sangli, Satara and Kolhapur districts wreaked havoc and brought life to a standstill, and now Karnataka is facing the furry of it. The flood has damaged crops in affected districts. Like other crops, excessive waterlogging caused hurt to sugarcane as well.
Flood has caused massive loss to the cane growers in Belagavi district. As per the preliminary investigation, there has been a loss of 40 lakh tonnes of sugarcane in the district. It is expected that, with the impact on sugarcane, it is likely to affect the sugar output in Karnataka. Sugar output in the state for season 2019-2020 was expected to be around 32 lakh tonne, but after the flood it may go down. Same is the case in Maharashtra, where it was presumed to be around 70 to 75 lakh tonne, but now experts believe Maharashtra sugar output may fall to 12 to 15 per cent after the flood. Once, the proper assessment comes after water level recedes, it will give a clear picture of how much impact flood caused to cane and its repercussions on sugar output in Karnataka and Maharashtra.
Sugarcane farmers who are already stressed with pending sugarcane arrears are now in the state of shock and struggling to come back on a track. Flood not only claimed lives but it also caused damage to the properties, crops and others worth thousands of crores. Industry bodies and political parties have also assessed the situation and suggest that only in Maharashtra flood caused the estimated loss of at least Rs 10,000 crore following the closure of industries, severe damage of crops, and others.
So far, 1,058 have lost their lives, and over 18 lakh people have been rescued across India by state and central agencies. In 152 districts, over 7,800 relief camps have been opened to give shelter to flood-affected people.
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