Solapur drought conditions have left a 64-year-old farmer facing crop losses, dried borewells and mounting debt, even as a central assessment team visited affected farms in the district to evaluate damage and the wider agrarian crisis.
Digambar Gaikwad, from Basaveshwar village around 10km from Solapur city, told the Times of India that he owns four acres and cultivates another eight acres on lease. He said prolonged rainfall deficit had damaged his marigold, tur and urad crops, leaving him worried that he may have to work as a daily-wage labourer to support his family.
Gaikwad had invested between Rs 75,000 and Rs 80,000 per acre in marigold cultivation for the season, hoping to sell the crop around Dussehra when demand typically rises. He said the plants had produced flowers but had withered completely, making it impossible for him to harvest and sell them.
The water shortage has intensified the losses. Three of the four borewells drilled to about 300ft on his farm have dried up, while the remaining borewell provides water for only 15 to 20 minutes, according to the report. Gaikwad said he had sold tur worth Rs 1.5 lakh last year, but had lost both his tur and urad crops this year because there was insufficient water for irrigation.
The crop failure has also affected his ability to repay a cooperative bank loan. Gaikwad said he paid a Rs 1.5 lakh instalment last year but could not manage the repayment this year. He told the newspaper that he had no other source of income after the failure of his crops.
A three-member central team led by Dr K Ponnuswamy, director in the Union agriculture ministry’s crops division, visited drought-affected farms in the district. Maharashtra agriculture commissioner Suraj Mandhare accompanied the team. The officials assessed crop damage and examined the severity of the agrarian crisis during the field visit.
The team collected samples from eight acres of leased land cultivated by Gaikwad. His concern is that any government compensation may be paid to the landowner rather than the person who incurred the cultivation costs. He said he had prepared the land, undertaken the farming operations and paid for the inputs, but feared that he would not receive assistance because he was cultivating the land on lease.
The visit covered several aspects of drought management in the district. In Sangola tehsil, the team inspected water conservation works. In Mangalwedha tehsil, it assessed kharif crop losses and inspected water conservation tanks, farm ponds, agricultural wells and tanker-based water supply arrangements.
The officials also interacted with shepherds and dairy farmers to understand the effect of the drought on livestock and allied agricultural activities. Gaikwad’s son, Purshottam, told the Times of India that immediate government assistance was needed to help the family manage the crisis.
The central assessment team’s field inspection is the next documented step in evaluating crop damage, water stress and the assistance required by affected farmers. The report does not specify the compensation decision or the timeline for relief measures.
