Orange orchards spread over 35,000 hectare in Maharashtra have been damaged, thanks to the hailstorm that hit the state in the last couple of days. The crops were damaged just days before the start of harvesting season (Mrig Bahar) when deals were being finalised between farmers and traders. Orange growers suffered a double whammy as the hailstorm also affected the flowering for the next crop (Ambiya Bahar) season. Before the hailstorm, oranges were selling at `35,000 per tonne. Recent reports show an alarming rise in the area of cultivated land damaged by hailstorm and unseasonal rains — at least 2.71 lakh hectare crops were destroyed by Thursday, according to the estimates of the state’s agriculture department. Two regions — Marathwada and Vidarbha — were the worst hit by the adverse weather conditions which prevailed from Sunday to Tuesday. Most of the crops were affected in Vidarbha, Marathwada, Amravati, Wardha, Nagpur and Buldhana where the plantation was dense. According to Sridhar Thakre, MD, MahaOrange, the damage has doubled because the harvesting has been hit and flowering for the coming season has withered. The cost of production is around `25,000 to `30,000 per acre and the value of the produce is estimated around `50,000 to `60,000 per acre. And this is the extent of loss farmers are likely to face, he said. Moreover, a large number of farmers failed to meet the tough conditions imposed by insurance companies and had opted not to insure their crops. Around 25000 to 30,000 growers cultivate oranges for a livelihood. Exports could also get affected, Thakre said, adding that his organisation was preparing for exports of the fruit to Dubai and Bangladesh in the next few days. Around 5 containers ( weighing 24 tonne each) were expected to leave for Dubai soon, while some 100 tonne are exported by road on a daily basis to Bangladesh, he said. Of the total orange production from Maharashtra, about 35% is exported to Bangladesh, while Kerala and Delhi are the main domestic markets for the fruit. Total area under orange cultivation in Maharashtra is about 1.21 lakh hectare and the overall production exceeds 7 lakh tonne annually. The fruit is shipped to Bangladesh usually via road. Around 100-200 tonne are transported to Bangladesh through Kolkata on a daily basis. Last year, for the first time in many years, around 52 tonne oranges from Maharashtra were exported to Sri Lanka through the sea route. Bangladesh continues to remain the largest importer while exports to Russia and Europe are negligible. Out of the 7.5 lakh tonne oranges produced annually, exports were till now restricted to Bangladesh and Nepal. In the domestic trade, an agent brings buyers and the deal is fixed for an entire orchard for certain amount. These transactions are done in cash partly. The minimum farm size in Vidarbha is 5 acre and farmers could have easily received `15 lakh to `20 lakh for an orchard of five acre. But now, the farmers are worried about the sale of their produce. Source - http://www.financialexpress.com