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Pawar cites El Niño-induced deficient rain in Maharashtra, says declare drought
Former Union minister Sharad Pawar sought at least ₹50,000 per hectare for farmers and ₹25,000 for every farm labour family
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Former Union minister Sharad Pawar on Friday cited deficient rainfall and asked the Maharashtra government to declare a drought due to the El Niño effect, which is primarily associated with a weak monsoon and below-normal rain in India. He sought a comprehensive relief package for farmers and the rural population.
In a letter to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, Pawar sought at least ₹50,000 per hectare for farmers and ₹25,000 for every farm labour family. He called for an immediate farm loan waiver and fresh crop loans. Pawar argued that the government should not wait for formal drought assessment criteria when parts of the state are facing severe conditions.
A crop damage assessment is scheduled to begin on October 5 as per the National Disaster Response Force guidelines.
Pawar said inadequate rainfall had damaged soybean, cotton, bajra, maize, tur, moong and urad crops in 31 of the 36 districts. He added that pest and disease attacks had also increased. Pawar warned the situation could further aggravate problems related to drinking water and fodder.
Pawar sought direct financial assistance to protect the rural economy. He asked the government to address a growing debt burden on farmers. “The loan waiver scheme should be implemented immediately, and crop loans should be made available without delay.”
He sought an increase in the incentive for farmers who regularly repay their loans from ₹50,000 to ₹1 lakh. He called for including farmers who took crop loans in 2025-26 and defaulted in the loan-waiver scheme.
Pawar demanded retrospective implementation of the ₹1 premium scheme and restoration of farmer-friendly triggers that had earlier been excluded from the crop insurance. He sought immediate disbursal of the ₹17,000 per hectare assistance announced for crop losses caused by unseasonal rains last year.
“Special schemes should be implemented through the Employment Guarantee Scheme in drought-like areas, including agriculture and water-conservation works,” Pawar said. He added that tanker arrangements should also be made to protect orchards.
Pawar demanded immediate surveys of villages facing drinking-water shortages. He said fodder camps should be opened based on demand. Pawar said drinking water and veterinary services should be ensured for livestock.
Pawar cited the uneven rainfall deficit and data to underline the severity of the situation. He said Marathwada recorded a 69% rain shortfall from June to August. Pawar added the deficit was 61% in Vidarbha and 33% in Konkan. Parts of western and northern Maharashtra reported rainfall deficits of up to 28%.
Pawar referred to data showing the rainfall shortfall coincided with a contraction in the area under sowing in some regions. In Vidarbha, the area sown by the end of August fell from 50.04 lakh hectares last year to around 47.5 lakh hectares this year. In Marathwada, the sown area dropped from 48.21 lakh hectares to 46.19 lakh hectares over the same period.
Pawar cited World Meteorological Organisation data to flag the possibility of the El Niño phenomenon exerting a greater impact in the coming years, saying its effects could become more pronounced from 2027.
A presentation made before the state Cabinet on Tuesday said 20 of 36 districts recorded a rainfall deficit of at least 20% during the monsoon. Many areas did not get any rain for over 30 consecutive days, damaging Kharif crops and worsening the water crisis.
The presentation said Maharashtra received 632.5 mm of rainfall during the monsoon against its average monsoon rainfall of 866.4 mm, a deficit of 27%. Twenty districts recorded a rainfall deficit of upwards of 20%. Affected areas included six of eight districts in the drought-prone Marathwada region, and four out of five districts in the Amaravati division, a farmer suicide-prone area.
Pawar flagged the possibility of worsening power-supply problems. He sought a special drive to complete repairs of faulty transformers and prevent prolonged load-shedding.
