Of the 899 farmers who committed suicide between January and October this year in Maharashtra’s Marathwada region, 537 took their lives in the last six months when floods caused massive damage to crops.
जनवरी-अक्टूबर के दौरान महाराष्ट्र के मराठवाड़ा में 899 किसानों ने दी जान
Between January and October this year, 899 farmers committed suicide in Marathwada. This information was revealed by official data from the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Divisional Commissioner’s Office. According to the report, 537 of these suicides occurred in the six months when heavy rains and floods severely damaged crops. The highest number of cases were recorded in Beed and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar districts. Between May and October, 112 farmers took their lives in Sambhajinagar, 108 in Beed, 90 in Nanded, 70 in Dharashiv, 47 in Latur, 45 in Parbhani, 33 in Hingoli, and 32 in Jalna.
Heavy rains and floods have broken the back of farmers
According to the report, persistent bad weather has damaged agriculture, leaving farmers in financial crisis. Meanwhile, natural disasters like heavy rains and floods also caused significant damage, resulting in the deaths of 12 people, damage to approximately 1,300 houses, and the death of 357 animals in the region as of September 20. This further exacerbated the problems faced by farmers.
The state government has announced a package of ₹32,000 crore for affected farmers in the state, including Marathwada. Minister of State for Agriculture Ashish Jaiswal stated that the government is spending a total of ₹1 lakh crore on schemes and incentives for farmers, and direct financial assistance will be further increased in the future.
Long-term preparation is essential to deal with natural disasters: Jaiswal
He stated that long-term preparation is essential to deal with large-scale natural disasters. He said that measures like controlled farming and changes in crop patterns can help secure farmers’ income. The government also stated that a committee has been formed to ensure that future loan waivers reach the right people.
Banana farmers suffer heavy losses
Farmer leader and former MP Raju Shetty said that erratic rainfall, floods, and a prolonged monsoon have destroyed farmers’ crops and demoralized them. He alleged that farmers receive very little compensation. Citing the example of a banana farmer who had 100 tons of crop worth approximately 2.5 million rupees, he received only 25,000 rupees after the entire crop was washed away in the floods.
Organization Suggests to Government
Meanwhile, Vinayak Hegana, founder of Shiver Helpline, an organization that provides advisory services to farmers, suggested that the government should create a separate and robust disaster management system for Marathwada. He said that given the frequent disasters caused by climate change, such a framework is needed that can take immediate action at the local level.
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