Farmers do not know what to sow anymore

The consistently untimely rainfall has disturbed the crop sowing pattern in Maharashtra, and farmers are clueless what to sow now.

The distress has led to a rise in farmer suicides in the state.

Kailash Patil, cotton growing farmer from Jalgaon, told dna, "We received rainfall throughout this year. We were trained to cultivate crops as kharif (monsoon – June and July) and rabi (winter crop). Through most of both the seasons, the crops were badly damaged. And we have no idea what to sow now? We do not have any particular crops that can sustain in all weather with regular rainfall. Therefore, we are really confused this year," said Patil.

He said that he lost almost Rs10 lakh worth of crops. "Initially, most of our cotton crops were damaged. Now in the second season we were ready to cultivate the food grains and onion. But the untimely rain damaged the crop, resulting in huge losses. We are afraid to invest in farming. The debts have risen and we have to pay more on interest as well," said Patil.

Grape orchard owners share similar stories. Rajesh Pingale, farmer from Nasik, said stakes are high in grape farming. "In this season, grape farmers have lost almost Rs1,300 crore worth of grapes. Small drops of rain can also damage this delicate fruit. This year, it has been raining out of season. We suffered big losses and there is no hope that we will able to recover. We expected that the BJP-led state government will extend all possible help.

But they failed to address our troubles," said Pingale.

As a result, farmer suicide has risen. "Farmers are under immense stress. In the last three months, almost 600 committed suicide. No one including the government is here to help us. If the remedial steps are not taken on time, farmer suicide numbers will rise in the state," said Nanasaheb Patil, president of Shetakri Kruti Samiti.