Yavatmal (Maharashtra) [India], September 23 (ANI): A severe drought has pushed Yavatmal district, particularly Pusad tehsil, into a deepening agricultural crisis, with soybean and cotton crops badly damaged due to inadequate rainfall. Farmers say the situation is particularly alarming as severe drought conditions have emerged as early as September, raising fears of a much deeper crisis in the coming months.
Manish Jadhav, a farmer, said three consecutive years of crop losses have left farmers financially broken. “Soybean and cotton crops have been devastated. Farmers and farm labourers are migrating in search of work, while water and fodder shortages could become the next major crisis. We need immediate relief of Rs 1 lakh per hectare without restrictive conditions, along with crop insurance benefits,” Jadhav said.
Durgadas Rathod, a farmer, said cultivation costs had become impossible to recover. “We spent around Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 per acre on soybean, but the crop is so badly damaged that we may not get even a kilogram of produce. How will we run our homes, educate our children and care for our livestock? We need compensation, not assurances,” Rathod said.
Sachin Sakhre, a farmer, said the drought was affecting not only cultivators but also farm labourers dependent on agriculture for their livelihood. With farm work drying up, he said, families are being forced to migrate towards cities and industrial areas in search of employment.
Aaditya Jadhav, a farmer, expressed anger over what he described as government and administrative inaction. “The government and administration appear to be in a deeper sleep than Kumbhakarna. It has become extremely difficult to wake them up to the suffering of farmers,” Jadhav said, demanding immediate intervention and relief for drought-hit families.
Farmers said Yavatmal has faced repeated agricultural setbacks over the past three years, ranging from excessive rainfall to prolonged dry spells. The successive crop losses have left many families struggling to meet expenses related to food, children’s education, healthcare and livestock.
The impact is extending beyond cultivators to farm labourers and others whose livelihoods depend on agriculture. With farm work declining, rural families are increasingly looking towards Pune, Mumbai, western Maharashtra and industrial areas for employment.
Farmers say the severity of the drought in September itself has revived memories of the 1972 drought, with concerns that conditions could worsen if the dry spell continues. With soybean and cotton crops badly damaged, incomes collapsing and fears of water and fodder shortages mounting, farmers say the drought is developing from an agricultural crisis into a wider livelihood challenge across affected parts of Yavatmal.
Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government has announced measures to address drought-like conditions across the state. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said a Cabinet sub-committee headed by Chandrashekhar Bawankule would take decisions on relief measures, while crop-loss panchnamas would begin in drought-affected areas from Wednesday.
The state government would initiate assistance without waiting for Central aid and would give special attention to drinking water and fodder for livestock, with planning for the next seven to eight months. The government said soybean, cotton and maize were among the crops most affected. (ANI)
Severe drought grips Yavatmal; soybean, cotton crops badly hit, farmers fear crisis worse than 1972
