Question

The floods in Maharashtra in August-September 2019 submerged sugarcane fields for over 20 days. How did this affect farmers?

Answer 1

1. Crop Destruction: Sugarcane fields remained submerged for more than 20 days, leading to waterlogging. This caused the roots to rot and damaged the crop, as sugarcane cannot tolerate standing water for a long period.
2. Loss of Income: Sugarcane is a long-duration crop requiring heavy investment and usually takes 10–12 months to mature. Therefore, its destruction caused farmers to lose both the money spent and the time invested over several months.
3. Delayed Harvest and Processing Issues: Waterlogged fields postponed the harvesting process and lowered the sucrose level in the crop, which affected the quality of yield and reduced the recovery rate during sugar production.
4. Soil Health Deterioration: Extended flooding caused the loss of soil nutrients and led to soil compaction, which negatively impacted future crops as well.
5. Debt Burden: Many farmers had borrowed money for fertilizers, irrigation, and labour. The crop damage worsened their financial condition and increased their debt burden.