Weather takes a toll on crops across state

Kolkata: Fluctuating temperature and a sustained level of humidity have made their impact felt on the production of various crops in the districts, giving anxious hours to farmers.

As monsoon has set in a little late in comparison to previous years, a growing level of humidity has damaged crops in the districts. The fluctuating weather has destroyed onions in various districts. A huge amount of onions are produced in North 24-Parganas, which is among the list of worst-hit districts.

As monsoon did not arrive on time, it already had an impact on the farmers producing various crops. Even after the arrival of monsoon in South Bengal, the record of overall rainfall in various districts remains significantly low, further complicating the situation.

The farmers from the districts of North 24-Parganas, South 24-Parganas, Nadia, Murshidabad and East Burdwan have complained about low production of various vegetables, due to the absence of adequate rains and the high level of temperature and humidity. As a result of this, the price of various essential vegetables is going up.

The Regional Meteorological Centre at Alipore said that South Bengal districts will witness scattered rainfall in the next 48 hours, while North Bengal will receive heavy rainfall. The scattered rainfall in South Bengal will not able to remove the discomfort level.

Monsoon has already entered South Bengal on Friday, bringing rainfall in various parts. A light rain lashed the city and some other districts of South Bengal on Sunday afternoon. Some parts of South Bengal remained cloudy throughout the day. The humidity level may continue to remain on the higher side in the next couple of days, until it starts raining heavily.