The Gujarat government on Wednesday said unseasonal rains in March damaged crops and horticultural produce on more than 42,000 hectares in 15 districts, and "financial assistance" will be provided to the affected farmers.

The issue was discussed during a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel in Gandhinagar. Suitable financial assistance will be announced soon, ?Health Minister Rushikesh Patel told reporters after the meeting.

As per the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) norms, crop loss must be more than 33 per cent for a farmer to be eligible for assistance, said Patel who is also a government spokesperson.

As per a survey conducted by the government, 42,201 hectares of farmland suffered more than 33 per cent damage, he said. "In March, unseasonal rains lashed 15 districts, including Ahmedabad, Banaskantha, Bhavnagar, Amreli, Junagadh and Bharuch. Preliminary reports suggested that standing crops and horticultural produce were damaged in 2,785 villages in these 15 districts. To assess the loss we had formed 565 survey teams," Patel informed.

"The survey covered nearly 1.99 lakh hectares in these 15 districts and found that 42,201 hectares of farmland suffered more than 33 per cent damage. Farmers who suffered more than 33 per cent loss will be given financial assistance soon as per the SDRF norms," said Patel.

While the survey in these 15 districts was over, a separate survey to assess the damage to mango orchards in Valsad was still on, the minister added.

From March 4 to 24, 198 talukas of 30 out of 33 districts in Gujarat received unseasonal rains ranging from 1 mm to 47 mm, said Patel, adding that 34 talukas in ten districts received more than 10 mm of rains.