Crop Losses Mount As Maharashtra Prepares Drought Relief Plan

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said the state government was planning employment, food security, drinking water and fodder assistance for drought-hit farmers, agricultural labourers and villagers in rural areas over the next six to eight months. Addressing a meeting with the Central drought assessment team, he said drinking water had been prioritised until August 2027, with separate provisions for people and livestock. The government would undertake water-body rejuvenation, fodder procurement and cattle camps wherever necessary. The state would submit a detailed memorandum to the Centre seeking assistance for drought-affected farmers.

An 11-member Central government inter-ministerial team completed its field visits over the past three days, covering Beed, Jalna and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in the Marathwada region; Pune, Ahilyanagar and Solapur in western Maharashtra; and Washim and Yavatmal in the Vidarbha region. The team conducted random field-level assessments of crop damage and apprised the Chief Minister of the severe impact of the dry spell and inadequate rainfall on the production of cotton, soybean, sugarcane, oranges, tur and other crops. Farmers have also demanded the maximum possible compensation for the losses they suffered during the kharif season, said an official who was present at the meeting at Varsha.

The official said the Chief Minister and the Central team were also briefed on water tanker supplies in Jalna, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Dharashiv districts in the Marathwada region. “Currently, around 1,000 water tankers are being deployed daily to supply drinking water in these districts. The situation is expected to worsen over the next three to four months, when around 5,000 water tankers will be required daily,” the official said.

Mr Fadnavis said the Central team would submit a report to the Union government on the situation in drought-affected areas.

He said the Central team’s extensive tour and on-the-ground assessment had helped it understand the situation at the grassroots level. This had given people a sense of satisfaction that their difficulties had been understood. “The team’s sensitive and comprehensive assessment would help convey the severity of the drought situation to the Union government,” he said.

The Chief Minister also pointed out that the state had initially witnessed good rainfall during the first two months of the monsoon, raising hopes of a record harvest. However, a prolonged dry spell of nearly two months, when crops were at the flowering stage, had severely affected agricultural production, particularly soybean.

“The state government will submit a detailed memorandum to the Central government in accordance with the norms. The Union Agriculture Minister had contacted the state government regarding the submission of an advance memorandum, which has been submitted. The Union Home Minister had assured the state that a meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Group would be convened soon to expedite the process of providing assistance,” Mr Fadnavis said.

He also said that although crop insurance coverage remained relatively low, the state government would work in coordination with the Central government to ensure that farmers covered under the scheme received their benefits at the earliest.