Last year's kharif production was 101 lakh tonnes (70 lakh tonnes kharif and 30 lakh tonnes rabi).

Umeshchandra Sarangi, state agriculture secretary told The Financial Express that a record 101 per cent sowing of kharif crops has been completed compared with last year's 96 per cent. However, the devastating rains and pest attacks have posed a serious threat to the banana plantations in Jalgaon, Dhule, Thane, Wardha, Nanded. The banana crop production is likely to be less than 25 lakh tonnes this year.

The "white gold" cotton in the parts of Vidarbha region has been affected due to the spread of pests. However, the menace is comparatively less this year.

The government expects a record production of three million bales as compared with 1.7 million bales last year.

"The pest menace,especially the fall of Heliothis on cotton this year, is less and thus we expect an increase in cotton production," heopined.

Similarly, there will be a tremendous increase in the sugarcane production this year at 500 lakh tonnes compared with previous years' 350 lakh tonnes. Also, a record production in soyabean at 14 lakh tonnes from 11 lakh hectares of land is expected.

Though heavy rains lashed Konkan region last week, the government estimates a paddy production of 25 lakh tonnes this year as "the paddy is a water loving crop." It also estimates an increase in jowar production.

However, the government is apprehending a decline in production if the rain persists.

The state has been worried over the rapid spread of "karpa" disease on paddy in Pune, Solapur, Thane, Raigad, Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri, Kolpahur, Gadchiroli, Nagpur and Bhandara districts. Also, the Stemborer pest has severely affected paddy in Thane, Raigad, Pune, Kolhapur,Latur, Osmanabad, Bhandara and Gadchiroli district while the armyworm, popularly known as "lashkari", has damaged the paddy cropsin Raigad, Thane, Akola, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli districts.

Jowar has been hit due to similar diseases and pest attacks in Solapur, Buldhana, Akola, Yavatmal, Wardha, Kolhapur, Beed and Osmanabad districts. The spread of "mawa" hit crop in Beed, Latur, Akola, Yavatmal and Parbhani districts.

Soyabean has been badly damaged due to pests in Ahmednagar, Jalna, Beed, Buldhana, Wardha, Latur, Parbhani, Nanded, Osmanabad, Wardha, Nagpur, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli districts.

Pest attack on cotton crop has been observed in Aurangabad, Ahmednagar, Jalna, Beed, Latur, Nanded, Akola, Parbhani, Osmanabad, Amravati, Wardha, Nagpur, Chandrapur, Buldhana, Parbhani districts. Groundnut has also been affected due to the fall of pests and spread of disease in Kolhaopur, Beed, Latur, Wardha, Aurangabad, Jalna, Buldhana, Akola and Nagpur.

Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Nashik, Dhule, Jalgaon, Ahmednagar, Pune, Solapur, Kolhapur, Parbhani, Buldhana,Akola, Amravati and Yavatmal districts have registered a rainfall of more than 156 mm. The low rainfall ranging between 1 mm and 15 mm was recorded in following talukas Malegaon, Dhule, Sakri, Ahmednagar, Srigonda, Kopargaon, Srirampur, Haveli, Khod, Purandar, Pandharpur, Mangalvedha, Satara, Patan, Shirala, Tasgaon, Atpadi, Shahuwadi, Shirol, Karvir, Aajra, Kagal, Bhudargad, Hatkanangale, Bhokardan, Beed, Ambejogai, Dharur.

Sarangi said that adequate steps have been taken to control the pest menace. He informed that the Integrated Pest Management scheme has been introduced all over the state and added that under this system, non- chemical applications of pest management have been introduced. He informed that efforts have been made to popularise pest monitoring among the farmers.

Sarangi said that in majority cases the pest menace this year was not upto the economic injury level and added that it has been contained through regular spread of pesticides and insecticides. He added that there has been anadequate supply of pesticides and added that various teams regularly take note of fall of pests or spread of diseases and suggest measures accordingly.