29 September,2026 09:10 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Rohit Pawar. File Photo
Nationalist Congress Party (SP) general secretary and MLA Rohit Pawar on Monday said farmers and agricultural labourers would block the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway between October 12 and 15 if the Maharashtra government failed to announce adequate drought relief by October 12.
Addressing a press conference in Mumbai, the Opposition MLA said the state government had declared drought in several parts of Maharashtra but had not yet announced the quantum of financial assistance for affected farmers. He claimed the state had suffered crop losses of around Rs 77,000 crore.
"If assistance is not announced before October 12, farmers and agricultural labourers would block the Samruddhi Expressway between October 12-15," he told reporters.
Pawar said he expected the state Cabinet to announce a relief package for drought-affected farmers either at its meeting on Tuesday or at the following week's meeting.
The state government on Saturday declared drought in 265 of Maharashtra's 358 talukas, accounting for about 74 per cent of the state's talukas, amid a rainfall deficit.
The government also announced several relief measures, including restructuring of crop loans, concessions in land revenue and subsidies on agricultural electricity bills.
Rohit Pawar, however, said the measures announced so far did not address farmers' demand for direct financial assistance and loan waivers.
He claimed Maharashtra had received 783.6 mm of rainfall till September 27, which was 20.50 per cent below normal. According to Pawar, the rainfall deficit stood at 34.30 per cent in Nashik, 9.80 per cent in Konkan and 25 per cent in the Nagpur divisions.
According to Pawar, Maharashtra's crop losses were estimated at around Rs 77,000 crore, excluding losses to fruit crops and sugarcane.
He said farmers had spent around Rs 95,500 crore on sowing, while the expected value of agricultural production was estimated at Rs 1,28,866 crore.
Pawar put the losses in Marathwada at Rs 33,750 crore and those in Vidarbha at Rs 22,456 crore. He claimed Yavatmal alone had suffered losses of Rs 5,136 crore.
Losses in north Maharashtra were estimated at Rs 10,000 crore, while Ahilyanagar district had suffered losses of around Rs 3,500 crore, according to Pawar.
The NCP (SP) leader also claimed that rabi crops had suffered losses of around Rs 35,000 crore.
Pawar demanded direct assistance of at least Rs 50,000 per hectare for farmers affected by the drought.
He said the assistance available under State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) norms, including Rs 8,500 per hectare for rainfed land and a maximum of Rs 17,000 under the applicable norms, would not be sufficient to cover farmers' losses.
Farmers spend between Rs 50,000 and Rs 60,000 per acre on cultivation, Pawar said, arguing that the government should provide at least Rs 50,000 per hectare as direct assistance to affected farmers.
He also criticised the relief measures announced by the Mahayuti government last week, including concessions in land revenue, restructuring of crop loans and concessions on agricultural power bills.
Pawar said farmers were seeking loan waivers and direct financial assistance rather than measures that did not provide immediate financial support.
During the press conference, Pawar spoke to a farmer from Jalna district over a video call. The farmer claimed that he had not received crop insurance compensation and that no government official had visited his area to assess the damage caused this year.
Pawar claimed farmers, the Centre and the state government had together paid Rs 2,394 crore in crop insurance premiums, while insurance companies had paid Rs 1,938 crore in compensation.
"Farmers did not even get back the amount paid as premium," the NCP (SP) MLA said, claiming the average compensation stood at only Rs 4,306 per hectare against a demand of Rs 17,000.
He also alleged that Rs 15,000 crore due under the Agricultural Prosperity Yojana, meant for subsidies and agricultural infrastructure, had not been paid over the past three years.
Pawar further claimed that of the Rs 31,628 crore relief package announced by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis last year, only 25 per cent had reached farmers.
The state government had declared drought in 265 talukas and announced relief measures in response to the rainfall deficit.
(With inputs from PTI)
