Maharashtra Drought Hits Soybean Crops, Farmers Face Heavy Losses

The Maharashtra government has declared 265 tehsils drought-affected, including all seven tehsils of Akola district. The prolonged gap in rainfall has particularly affected soybean cultivation, leaving farmers worried about failed harvests and mounting financial losses.

The Revenue Department is carrying out crop damage assessments and inspecting fields to determine the extent of losses caused by the water shortage.

In Yevta village of Beed district, farmer Sheikh Rashid said his four-acre soybean crop was drying up due to a lack of water and was at risk of being completely destroyed.

"The situation is quite serious. All the farmers had hoped for a good harvest, but nature took away our dreams," Rashid said. He added that ministers had visited the affected fields, seen the damage and assured farmers that steps would be taken to address their concerns.

The prolonged dry spell has raised concerns over the livelihoods of farmers who had been depending on the soybean harvest for income. Soybean is among the key crops cultivated in several of the drought-affected regions.

The India Meteorological Department has announced the withdrawal of the southwest monsoon from most parts of Maharashtra, further reducing the possibility of rainfall that farmers had hoped could revive their crops.

The drought situation has also triggered criticism from the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) faction. In an editorial published in the party mouthpiece *Saamana*, the party warned that Maharashtra could face a prolonged drought lasting nine to 10 months.

The editorial said the withdrawal of the monsoon, without sufficient follow-up rainfall, had worsened the situation for farmers and claimed that more than half of Maharashtra was facing severe dry conditions.

It further claimed that over 20 of the state's 36 districts had recorded a significant rainfall deficit during the season, with Marathwada, Vidarbha and parts of central Maharashtra among the regions affected by the prolonged dry spell.

The developments have increased pressure on the state government to complete crop-loss assessments and provide relief and assistance to farmers affected by drought and water shortages.