NewsClick

NewsClick
  • हिन्दी
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Covid-19
  • Science
  • Culture
  • India
  • International
  • Sports
  • Articles
  • Videos
search
menu

SUBSCRIBE AND SUPPORT

image/svg+xml
  • All Articles
  • Newsclick Articles
  • All Videos
  • Newsclick Videos
  • हिन्दी
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Science
  • Culture
  • India
  • Sports
  • International
  • Africa
  • Latin America
  • Palestine
  • Nepal
  • Pakistan
  • Sri Lanka
  • US
  • West Asia
About us
Grievance Redressal Mechanism
Newsletter
Facebook - Newsclick Twitter - Newsclick Instagram - Newsclick Youtube - Newsclick RSS - Newsclick
close menu
×
You deserve independent, critical media. Subscribe and Support
Agriculture
Politics
India

Maharashtra: Package for Rain-Affected Farmers Falls Short of Earlier Demands by NCP and Shiv Sena During BJP Rule

The government is providing a relief of Rs 10,000/hectare to the rain-affected farmers for cash crops, whereas NCP and Shiv Sena, in the past, had demanded Rs 50,000/hectare and Rs 25,000/hectare, respectively.
Amey Tirodkar
16 Oct 2021
Maharashtra: Package for Rain-Affected Farmers Falls Short of Earlier Demands by NCP and Shiv Sena During BJP Rule

Representational Image. Image Courtesy: PTI

Crops in Maharashtra's more than 55 lakh hectares of land have wholly washed off this year due to continuous rains and the cyclone 'Gulab'. As per the state's revenue department, the preliminary estimate of farmers' losses runs into almost Rs 25,000 crores, including crops such as sugarcane, jowar, soybean and pulses. All five regions in the state have faced natural calamities this year. In addition to this, the government has failed to help the vulnerable farmers through these calamities.

Gunaji Kale, a 54-year-old farmer from Varegaon, Jintur, has a 3.5-acre farm. He had planted pigeon pea (tur dal) in two acres and soybean in the rest. But heavy rains in the third and fourth week of September in Marathwada submerged his entire crop in water. "It was like a cloud had burst on our heads. Ten villages almost lost their entire crop. I was expecting at least Rs two lakhs from soybean and between 80,000 -1,00,000 from tur," said Kale.

In a cabinet meeting held on October 13, the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government announced a package of Rs 10,000 crores to help the farmers. The state claims that it has not waited for the National Disaster Relief Fund's instructions and gave this package from its limited finances. Despite these claims, a detailed look into the package reveals that the help provided to the farmers is negligible.

According to the package, farmers who have lost their pulses or other crops like jowar and soybean would get Rs 10,000/hectare, while farmers who have lost cash crops would get Rs 15,000/hectare. Farmers with multi-year crops would get Rs 25,000/hectare. The government compensation is limited to two hectares/farmer.

The package doesn't take into account the production costs of agriculture in the state. For instance, pulses farmers are given an aid of Rs 10,000/hectare, which amounts to Rs 4,000/acre. Generally, soybean production costs are as high as Rs 50,000/acre, even for a small farmer. For a farmer planting the crop on one-hectare land, the costs rise to approx. 1.30 lakh, which means the state government compensation of Rs 10,000/hectare is just 10% of the entire expenses of farmers.

"How come farmers will stand in this case? Generally, they go for loans every season. Now they have lost everything they could have got had the season gone well. And what is the government giving them? Just 10% of the entire cost. It is unacceptable and atrocious," said Dr Ajit Navale, general secretary of All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), Maharashtra.

Manik Kadam, a farmers' leader from Parbhani, Marathwada, said that the Maharashtra government's little financial assistance would spread despair amongst farmers.

"Government is the only caretaker of farmers. Private companies are not concerned about their well-being. The government will have to extend a helping hand, giving farmers confidence to continue in agriculture. Otherwise, such a helpless situation would eventually lead to a large number of suicides," feared Kadam.

During 2016 and 2019, Maharashtra had seen similar rains. In 2019, Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) was in power with Shiv Sena as its minor partner in the government. At the time, Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) was in opposition. During those days, Sena chief and now CM of state, Uddhav Thackeray, demanded Rs 25,000/hectare for crops like jowar and soybean. He had also asked the government to immediately give financial assistance without wasting time in the bureaucratic process. Similarly, NCP chief Sharad Pawar had also asked the government to provide immediate relief. His nephew and current Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar had asked for Rs 50,000/hectare relief for cash crops.

"Be it Sena or NCP, both of them have forgotten what they used to demand a few years back. None of these main political parties cares for farmers. They do lip services. Uniting and protesting seems to be the only way for farmers," said Dhavale.

CM Thackeray had claimed that his government would take care of farmers. But that is not translating on the ground. Government insiders keep claiming that the COVID-19 has broken the backbone of the state economy. Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana (SSS) has spoken against this narrative.

"They have money to continue Rs 55,000 crores Mumbai Nagpur road. They gave clearance to Konkan expressway, which would cost Rs 10,000 crores. So, when it comes to big infrastructure projects, the government pulls up resources and announces projects. But when it's about helping farmers, they point towards COVID-19. This shows that the MVA doesn't intend to help the farmers in the first place," said Raju Shetti, president of SSS.

Get the latest reports & analysis with people's perspective on Protests, movements & deep analytical videos, discussions of the current affairs in your Telegram app. Subscribe to NewsClick's Telegram channel & get Real-Time updates on stories, as they get published on our website.
NCP
Farm Losses
Shiv Sena
AIKS
Crop Relief
Crop Losses
MVA
Package
Maharashtra Government
Related Stories
Delhi Sanitation Workers Demand Permanent Jobs

Delhi Sanitation Workers Demand Permanent Jobs

Pic courtesy - CMO Maharashtra twitter handle

Massive Rise in Soybean Seeds Prices Clouds Record Cultivation in Maharashtra

Onion Prices Shoot up Again

Maharashtra Onion Farmers hit by Falling Rates, Pre-monsoon

wheat procurment

Small, Marginal Farmers Worst hit by Heatwave, Farm Unions Demand Rs 500 Bonus/Quintal for Wheat

India’s Wheat Fiasco

India’s Wheat Fiasco!

dyfi

DYFI Calls for a Cohesive Fight to Uphold Secularism in India

TN This Week: Protests Oppose HC Order Against Cattle-Grazing on Forest Land

TN This Week: Protests Oppose HC Order Against Cattle-Grazing on Forest Land

 Patiala violence: Expelled Shiv Sena leader arrested

Patiala Violence: Expelled Shiv Sena Leader Arrested

Bhagirath Burunge from Sinnar, Nasik owns 4 cows. Each one gives 5 to 7 litres of milk per day. Bhagirath sells a minimum of 20 litres of cow milk every day. He sells it to a local cooperative dairy, which is later sold to the district dairy. Bhagirath expects at least Rs 34 per litre but gets only Rs 29.   This is happening although rates of milk are increasing in the retail market as well as in the powder industry too. But Bhagirath, the principal source of the milk industry, is struggling to get his shar

Maharashtra Govt Accused of Enabling Dairies to Loot Milk Producing Farmers

POMEGRANT

Maha: Scorpion Pest Eats Away Pomegranate Gardens Across Four Districts

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on WhatsAppShare via EmailShare on RedditShare on KindlePrint
Share
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on WhatsAppShare via EmailShare on RedditShare on KindlePrint
Share
You deserve independent, critical media. We want readers like you. Support independent, critical media. Subscribe to Newsclick.

Subscribe and Support


Latest

  • Delhi Sanitation Workers Demand Permanent Jobs

    Delhi Sanitation Workers Demand Permanent Jobs

  • UP: After Backlash, Govt Says 'No Order’ for Surrender,  Cancellation of Ration Cards

    UP: After Backlash, Govt Says 'No Order’ for Surrender, Cancellation of Ration Cards

  • KKPL inauguration - Credit Deshabhimani

    HNL is now KPPL: Kerala Govt Scripts Revival Story of Central PSU

  • The issue of 'sextortion' has often been swept under the carpet in sports

    Sport's Serious Problem with 'Sextortion'

  • Load More
Newsletter
About us
Grievance Redressal Mechanism