Mumbai: The Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) faction on Friday urged the Maharashtra state government to immediately declare a drought emergency across the state. Through its mouthpiece 'Saamana', the party highlighted severe crop decimation and acute farmer distress in regions like Marathwada, Western Maharashtra, and Vidarbha, attributing the crisis to rainless conditions during the peak monsoon season.
The party's editorial piece detailed how the 'El Niño' phenomenon has left areas including Solapur, Ahilyanagar, and several districts across Marathwada and Western Vidarbha without rain for weeks, some enduring up to two months of dry spells. Standing crops such as soybean, cotton, tur, moong, urad, sorghum, and maize have withered completely. Even farmers with irrigation access face a projected yield reduction of 50 to 70 percent, while rain-dependent dryland cultivators report total crop failure.
This crisis threatens both the current Kharif and upcoming Rabi seasons. Wells, ponds, and borewells have dried prematurely mid-monsoon, leaving farmers without water for future sowing cycles and jeopardizing their entire year's livelihood. 'Saamana' sharply criticized the state leadership for its delayed response, contrasting Maharashtra's inaction with neighboring Karnataka, which officially declared a drought and began relief measures weeks ago.
While the Chief Minister and government officials recently started visiting farms to assess conditions, the Thackeray camp emphasized that formal surveys, spot inspections (panchnamas), and ministerial review meetings must not delay urgent relief. Beyond environmental challenges, farmers also confront severe exploitation in agricultural markets. The editorial cited a distressing case from Sailu taluka in Parbhani district, where farmer Jeevan Kawade, despite the drought, managed to cultivate four quintals of chilli. Traders paid him only Rs 1,017 for his entire produce, falling significantly short of the Rs 2,000 he spent solely on harvesting labour, not including other input costs.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) called on state leaders to visit Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMCs) and curb middlemen exploiting vulnerable farmers. Asserting that the situation is a matter of life and death for lakhs of agricultural families, the editorial concluded with a demand for the government to "throw open the state treasury and waive rigid rules and technical criteria to keep Maharashtra's farmers alive."
Image: mangalorean.com
📰 Source: Mangalorean News