'When Nature Declares War On Farmers, Govt Must Open Its Vault'

'The drought situation of Maharashtra is more severe than in 1972.'

Maharashtra is staring at a drought crisis that some believe could be worse than the devastating drought of 1972.

But for farmers who have watched their crops wither, the crisis is not measured in government announcements or compensation figures -- it is measured in the thousands of rupees already spent, the crop that has been lost, and the family that still has to survive for the next twelve months.

The government says it is providing relief.

But is that relief enough?

When the cost of cultivating a hectare of soybean or cotton can run into tens of thousands of rupees, can compensation of ₹8,500 per hectare realistically keep a farming family afloat after a crop failure?

And this is where the disconnect becomes impossible to ignore.

Farmers are counting every rupee while questions are being raised as Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bhame was seen eating dry fruits and almonds while attending a drought-related meeting in Nanded.

The issue is not the price of an almond. But the widening distance between the people making decisions and the farmers living with the consequences of those decisions.

Why were farmers not adequately warned when weather forecasts had already pointed to the risks of El Niño and a delayed monsoon?

Why were they not advised to shift towards less water-intensive crops such as jowar or bajra, which could at least provide fodder if the crop failed?

And why does a disaster-relief formula designed for an older, lower-cost economy continue to be applied in an era when the cost of farming has multiplied?

In this two-part interview, Vijay Jawandhia, founder-member of the Shetkari Sanghatana, explains to Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff the gravity of the drought situation in Maharashtra.

Is it true that Maharashtra's drought situation is so bad that many old-timers are stating that it is worse than the 1972 drought which was catastrophic for farmers?

I believe the drought situation of Maharashtra is more severe than in 1972.

The reason being, in 1972 the Indian economy was a low cost economy.

At that time a help of Rs 500 was good enough to sustain a farmer's family (for a year) but today we have been integrated into a high cost economy.

Salaries have risen across industries and running the day to day household expenses or running a farmland is very high.

Take, for example, one hectare of soayaben or cotton costs approximately Rs 20,000 in the last three months. If the same one hectare farming expense I compare it with 1972, it would have cost me Rs 500 only.

So when this government says we are giving huge aid to the farmers of Maharashtra due to drought, I just want to tell them that the money is not good enough because running household expenses has gone through roof if you compare it with the year 1972.

'When nature has declared war on farmers, the government must open its vault'

What relief package should have been given to the farmers of Maharashtra staying in drought areas?

I believe the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) gives Rs 8,500 per hectare to farmers for rain-fed crops in drought situation, which is very less.

This amount is too less for farmers fighting drought as he will have no earning this year.

I feel Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis going from one village to another is a very good step from his side.

He spoke to a soyaben farmer who he is seen weeping over his losses but one question which Fadnavis should have asked that farmer, how much it cost him in three months to sow this soyaben crop?

He didn't ask the question to the farmer.

Had he asked the question, the people of Maharashtra would have known the ground realities of a farmer's life and the miserable condition in which he lives.

This Rs 8,500 per hectare rule of NDRF has been in effect since when?

This is a very old rule and in that too a farmer will not get help if he owns more than two hectares of land.

Eknath Shinde in his term as chief minister had increased this aid to three hectares but I am demanding this should be raised to four hectares. Even if you make it four hectares, then a farmer will get only Rs 34,000 aid which is too less for him to survive with his family for a year if his crop fails.

It is a meagre amount but still something is better than nothing.

When nature has declared war on farmers, the government must open its vault.

'We had a delayed monsoon and therefore farmers delayed their sowing pattern'

Is it true that in 2012 we faced a similar drought?

Take the example of 2025 where farmers suffered due to incessant rains.

And everyone living in cities must know that a wet drought due to incessant rains can be tolerated but a dry drought due to lack of rains is unbearable and painful for farmers.

What could the government have done to prevent this crisis if the weather was bad?

All the weather forecasts in the world had predicted early this year that El Niño will have devastating consequences on the Indian farming sector.

This prediction was made well in advance.

We had a delayed monsoon and therefore farmers delayed their sowing pattern.

And after they sowed the seeds the rains disappeared again, with a few showers here and there.

In such a scenario, the government should have alerted farmers that they should only sow jowar or bajra which gives good yield if there is less rainfall.

And even if the crop failed the farmers would have got the yield of fodder which could have given some returns on their investments but the government did not alert the farmers to take timely action.

So what do the Maharashtra farmers sow?

Soyaben and cotton for which a huge quantity of water is needed.

If the soyaben crop fails you don't even get fodder. If jowar crop fails then at least you get fodder.

What about local NGOs or such institutions who could have alerted the farmers if the government failed to do so?

NGOs need resources to go on the ground.

The government of the day has dried out the finances of all NGOs.

The government decides which NGO needs money and which doesn't.

In my village there was an M S Swaminathan research centre where there was a laboratory too.

This NGO started in 2005 and shut down in 2015 after the Modi government came to power.