Crisis for Kharif Crops Due to Floods and Rain in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar

**New Delhi:** Torrential rains and severe river flooding across vast areas of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar over the past few days have not only caused extensive loss of life and property but have also created a critical situation for standing Kharif crops.

Floodwaters have inundated fields across numerous districts in both states, submerging the crops. While paddy crops might manage to withstand this crisis, the situation could prove fatal for pulses, oilseeds, and coarse grain crops. Sugarcane crops in some areas also face a serious threat from these floods and rains. However, cotton cultivation is either non-existent or negligible in both these states.

In Uttar Pradesh, severe flooding is being witnessed in several districts, including Lakhimpur Kheri, Banda, Bahraich, Hamirpur, Shahjahanpur, Kanpur, Prayagraj, and Sitapur. Government data indicates that Kharif crops across 31,174 hectares of land in 2,415 villages across 15 districts of Uttar Pradesh are completely submerged. These are preliminary figures; the true extent of the damage will only become clear once the floodwaters recede.

Meanwhile, in Bihar, Kharif crops have been affected by floods in several districts—including Patna, Nalanda, Supaul, Khagaria, Madhepura, Purnia, Katihar, Bhagalpur, and Begusarai—raising concerns that agricultural production and farmers' incomes will be severely impacted.