With rains continuing to lash parts of Vidarbha and Marathwada region in Maharashtra, government officials are concerned that it could lead to heavy crop losses, posing a challenge for the new state government.

As July comes to an end, kharif sowing in Maharashtra is at 91.54 per cent, data shared by the agriculture department has revealed. Of the total area of 142 lakh hectares, kharif sowing has taken place on 130 lakh hectares, marginally higher as compared to last year’s 127 lakh hectares. Government officials said that while this data was not a cause for concern, they were worried about the heavy rains that the state has been witnessing this month impacting the crops.

Twenty-three districts out of the 36 districts in Maharashtra have been hit by heavy rains and floods in varying degrees, the agriculture department has revealed. The crop loss across the worst-hit districts in the Marathwada and Vidarbha region is estimated to be over 8 lakh hectares. Parts of north Maharashtra, Konkan and western Maharashtra are also reeling under heavy monsoon.

In several districts, officials said, farmers may have to take up a third round of sowing with their second sowing efforts being washed away in floods. The actual estimate is yet to be ascertained, they added. Of the 1.52 crore farmers in the state, almost 78 per cent fall in the small and marginal farmers’ category and sources said whether they will be able to withstand crop loss and financial challenges will have to be seen.

A region-wise analysis of data shared by the agriculture department shows that kharif sowing is 77 per cent in Konkan, 90 per cent in Nashik, 92 per cent in Pune, 89 per cent in Kolhapur, 94 per cent in Aurangabad, 95 per cent in Latur, 95 per cent in Amravati and 79 per cent in Nagpur.

Giving early indications about its commitment to farmers, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday announced Rs 50,000 incentive to farmers who have repaid crop loan for two successive years between 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20.

This incentive scheme to non-defaulters was also announced when the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government came to power in 2019 but it remained on paper. The then MVA government led by former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray failed to enforce the scheme for two-and-a-half years citing paucity of funds, which was attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic and related lockdowns.

In March 2022, former deputy chief minister and finance minister Ajit Pawar reiterated the three-party coalition government’s commitment to implement the incentive farm scheme and also pledged Rs 10,000 crore towards it. However, implementation was delayed.

The Rs 50,000 one-time farm incentive scheme to farmers was an outcome of unrest when successive state governments announced crop loan waivers. With frequent modifications, governments extended the scheme to debt-ridden farmers between 2001 to 2009, putting the total beneficiary list to 60 lakh farmers.

In June 2017, the BJP-Shiv Sena coalition led by Fadnavis announced a crop loan waiver of Rs 35,000 crore, writing off individual debts up to Rs 1.5 lakh. The loan waiver scheme was named the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Shetkari Sanman Yojna. The MVA in 2019 renamed the scheme as Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Karj Mukti Yojna and raised the loan waiver amount to Rs 2 lakh.

After taking charge, the Shinde government promptly decided to implement the unfulfilled farm incentive scheme. According to estimates, the Rs 50,000 incentive scheme to eligible non-defaulter farmers will require an expenditure of Rs 5,722 crore. It is estimated that 13.85 lakh farmers will benefit from the scheme.

The continuous rain this month, however, is likely to pose more challenges for the one-month-old Maharashtra government. After actual assessment of crop loss at the end of monsoon, which is likely to extend till early September, the state government may have to provide more financial help to farmers. Both Shinde and Fadnavis have assured that there will be no shortage of funds when it comes to helping farmers.

Source - https://indianexpress.com