Mumbai, Sep 25 (IANS) The Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray on Friday said that Maharashtra is grappling with an unprecedented and devastating drought, as rainless conditions during the peak monsoon season have decimated crops across vast stretches of Marathwada, Western Maharashtra, and Vidarbha.
Highlighting the severe distress among the farming community, the Thackeray camp in the party’s mouthpiece, ‘Samaana’, has urged the state government to bypass bureaucratic norms, open state coffers unconditionally, and declare an immediate drought emergency.
Driven by the severe effects of the ‘El Niño’ phenomenon, regions including Solapur, Ahilyanagar, and several districts across Marathwada and Western Vidarbha have gone weeks — and in some places up to two months — without a single drop of rain. Standing crops of soybean, cotton, tur, moong, urad, sorghum, and maize have dried up and withered. Even farmers with access to wells or irrigation facilities expect a yield drop of 50 per cent to 70 per cent, while rain-dependent dryland farmers have faced total crop loss, said the editorial.
According to the editorial, the crisis is set to hit both the Kharif and upcoming Rabi seasons. With wells, ponds, and borewells drying up prematurely in the middle of the rainy season, farmers are left with no water for the next sowing cycle, threatening a complete loss of yearly livelihood.
The editorial took sharp aim at the state leadership for delaying action. Comparing Maharashtra to neighbouring Karnataka — which officially declared a drought and initiated relief measures weeks ago — it criticised the Chief Minister and ministers for waiting for the returning monsoon rather than taking decisive action. “Though the Chief Minister and government officials have recently begun visiting farm boundaries to assess the ground reality, formal surveys, spot inspections (panchnamas), and ministerial review meetings should not delay immediate relief,” remarked the Thackeray camp.
Beyond nature’s wrath, farmers are facing severe exploitation in agricultural markets. The editorial highlighted a harrowing incident from Sailu taluka in Parbhani district, where a farmer named Jeevan Kawade managed to cultivate four quintals of chilli despite the drought. He was paid a meagre Rs 1,017 for his entire produce by traders — far short of even the Rs 2,000 he spent solely on harvesting labour, excluding seeds, fertilisers, and transport costs.
The editorial called on state leaders to visit market committees (APMCs) and crack down on middlemen who are exploiting distressed farmers.
Emphasising that the current situation is a matter of life and death for lakhs of agricultural families, the editorial concluded with a stark demand. “The government must throw open the state treasury and waive rigid rules and technical criteria to keep Maharashtra’s farmers alive. Having witnessed the grief on the ground firsthand, the prompt question remains –will the government act before it is too late?” asked the editorial.
–IANS
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