Marathwada Crop Losses Estimated At ₹35,000 Crore, Maharashtra Losses At ₹80,000 Crore; Rohit Pawar Seeks Drought Declaration

Pune: NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar on Tuesday demanded that the Maharashtra government immediately declare drought in Marathwada, claiming that crop losses in the region have reached nearly ₹35,000 crore, while the total loss across Maharashtra could be around ₹80,000 crore.

Pawar, who had visited drought-affected areas in Marathwada over the past two days, raised the issue during a press interaction in Pune. He had also shared district-wise estimates of crop losses on X earlier in the day.

‘Situation worse than previous droughts’

Pawar said his interaction with farmers during the visit showed the severity of the situation on the ground.

He said, “I spoke to farmers in Vidarbha last week and, over the past two days, I travelled across Marathwada and interacted with farmers. The drought situation is extremely serious. Water sources have dried up and crops in the fields have been destroyed. Even people who have witnessed the 1972 drought said they had not seen such a situation before.”

According to the figures shared by Pawar, the major crops affected include soybean, cotton, tur and maize. His estimates put the total crop loss in the eight districts of Marathwada at around ₹35,948 crore.

‘₹8,500 per acre will not be enough’

Pawar questioned whether the proposed government assistance of around ₹8,500 per acre would be adequate considering the scale of losses suffered by farmers.

He said, “If the government is going to provide ₹8,500 per acre, where will the farmers get the remaining money from? Crop insurance companies have not paid the farmers. The government needs to understand the scale of the losses and provide adequate assistance.”

He demanded a comprehensive relief package that includes ₹50,000 assistance for farmers and ₹25,000 for agricultural labourers, along with fodder camps, drinking water, assistance for fruit orchards, fee waivers for students and support for other affected sections.

Seeks central assistance

Pawar said the scale of the crisis required assistance from the Centre as well and called for an all-party delegation to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He said, “The crisis is very serious. NDRF assistance alone will not be sufficient. The Centre will have to provide substantial assistance. The state government should form a delegation comprising leaders from all parties and seek special assistance from the Centre.”

He also demanded that the government consider rainfall data and the prevailing ground situation while deciding on drought declarations instead of waiting for the situation to deteriorate further.

Pawar said he had previously warned Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis about the possibility of an El Niño-related weather crisis and urged the government to take preventive measures.

“I had met the Chief Minister earlier and warned him about the possibility of an El Niño crisis. The government should take the situation seriously and act before the crisis becomes more severe,” he said.