Pune: Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) MLA Rohit Pawar on Saturday criticised the Maharashtra government’s ₹5,000 assistance to farmers affected by drought-like conditions, calling it inadequate in view of the extent of crop losses. He warned of a major agitation before Diwali if the government failed to provide adequate financial relief to farmers.

NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar on Saturday criticised the Maharashtra government’s ₹5,000 assistance to farmers affected by drought-like conditions, calling it inadequate in view of the extent of crop losses. (HT FILE)

Speaking at a press conference, Pawar demanded compensation of ₹1 lakh per hectare for farmers and ₹1.5 lakh per hectare for fruit orchards. He said the government needed to take into account the rising cost of cultivation and the losses suffered by farmers before deciding the relief amount.

Pawar said he had visited several talukas and interacted with farmers and government officials to assess the situation. He claimed that his constituency had received only 30% of its average rainfall, while Nashik and Pune divisions had recorded 34% and 31%, respectively.

He also expressed concern over declining water storage in dams. According to him, storage in Pune’s dams had dropped from 93% to 81%, while the Ujani dam had 80% water storage.

Highlighting the financial burden on farmers, Pawar said soybean cultivation costs around ₹28,000 per hectare, making the government’s ₹5,000 assistance insufficient. He added that farmers from Latur had complained during a video call that officials had not visited their fields to assess crop damage. Some farmers had reportedly spent more than ₹1.25 lakh per acre on cultivation.

Pawar demanded a subsidy to help protect fruit orchards. He called for a plan to ensure fodder availability for the state’s 2.78 crore livestock and sought a separate welfare scheme for shepherds. He also raised concerns over farmer suicides in Marathwada.