Tropical cyclone Hudhud, which has caused substantial destruction in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, might prove beneficial for rabi crops in Gangetic planes of Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh.

The sowing season for wheat, the main rabi crop, started on Wednesday. Wheat is sown between October 15 and November 15 and is harvested in March-April. Maize is also sown during this period but is harvested in April-May.

A.R. Khan, an agriculture scientist from Lucknow, who was also the director of Bihar unit of Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) till 2013, said: “Hudhud rain that has covered most parts of north and central-south Bihar besides eastern Uttar Pradesh, which are the rich planes for rabi crops in the Gangetic belt, are virtually manna from heaven for the crops. The rain ahead of the rabi sowing season is a boon for the crops and several varieties of winter vegetables.”

The wind speed had not affected the outgoing standing kharif crops to a large extent. “The wind was too intense to break or bend the kharif crops. In fact, the Hudhud rain brought in the needed moisture offered that will boost the cultivation of the rabi crop,” Khan said.

Experts stated that the widespread Hudhud rain have effectively compensated for the relatively deficient and scattered rainfall during the outgoing monsoon season.

The agriculture department claimed that Bihar accounted for 60 per cent of the rabi-maize crops in the country.

“Though it is too early to quantify the yield of wheat and rabi-maize at this stage, the yield of these crops is set to go beyond the average production,” an agriculture official said.

Wheat is largely cultivated in Saran, Siwan, Gopalganj, Vaishali, Muzaffarpur, Samastipur, Buxar, Bhojpur, Kaimur, Rohtas, Jehabanad, Aurangabad and Nalanda districts. The Kosi’s Seemanchal region comprising Purnea, Madhepura, Supaul, Katihar and also Khagaria have the large parts of their farm fields under Rabi-maize cultivation.

Sudhanshu, a farmer and ICAR’s Jagjivan Ram Kisan Purshkar (award) winner, who is also the mukhiya of Naya Nagar panchayat in Samastipur district, said: “The cyclonic rain have become a boon. It has saved the cost of irrigation ahead of the rabi sowing season. We are expecting a high rabi yield because of Hudhud this year.”