MONSOON THREATENS WESTERN VIDARBHA-40 LAKH HECTARES OF COTTON, SOYBEAN AND PIGEON PEA UNDER CRISIS- Kishor Tiwari
September 6, 2026
58% Rainfall Deficit in Vidarbha in August; Akola 84%, Amravati 82% and Yavatmal 78% Deficit - Crops Hit by Dry Spell at the Critical Flowering, Pod and Boll Formation Stages
“This year’s monsoon has turned into an agricultural emergency for Western Vidarbha. Prime Minister Narendra Modi must immediately visit Vidarbha, which is witnessing farmer suicides, and announce special assistance for the 40-lakh-hectare rainfed belt along with a permanent ‘Integrated Agricultural Crisis Elimination Programme’.”
Date: September 6, 2026
This year’s monsoon has put farmers in Western Vidarbha in severe distress. The late arrival of rainfall, uncertainty during the initial phase, episodes of excessive rainfall, repeated sowing,second and third sowings—and the unprecedented prolonged dry spell during August have placed nearly 40 lakh hectares of rainfed cotton, soybean, pigeon pea and other Kharif crops across the six districts of Yavatmal, Amravati, Akola, Washim, Buldhana and Wardha under serious production risk.
In August 2026, Vidarbha recorded a massive 58% rainfall deficit compared with the average. Akola recorded an 84% deficit, Amravati 82%, and Yavatmal 78%, causing soil moisture to rapidly deplete precisely when crops are passing through their most critical stages.
Cotton is currently at the stage of square formation, flowering and boll formation; soybean is at the critical stage of flowering and pod filling; while the growth of pigeon pea is being stunted.
Therefore, “This is not the time to wait until the season is over and conduct a panchnama (damage assessment). The priority now must be to save the standing crop and the farmer who is still alive,” warned Kishor Tiwari, farmer leader of the Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti.
WESTERN VIDARBHA’S AGRICULTURAL CRISIS MUST BE TREATED AS AN EMERGENCY
Tiwari has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to treat the situation in Western Vidarbha as an “agricultural emergency.”
The August dry spell has broken the backbone of farmers.
According to available rainfall data, Vidarbha received only 125.5 mm of rainfall in August 2026, against the normal 297.1 mm, representing a 58% deficit.
Although the cumulative rainfall deficit for the June-August period is around 22%, from an agricultural perspective, the total amount of rainfall received is less important than when the rain arrived, how long the dry spell lasted, and at what stage of crop development the water was available.
The August rainfall deficit in Western Vidarbha districts was particularly severe:
- Akola — 84% deficit
- Amravati — 82% deficit
- Yavatmal — 78% deficit
- Wardha — 73% deficit
- Washim — 71% deficit
- Buldhana — 61% deficit
Excess rainfall in some areas during July may make the overall seasonal average appear comparatively less alarming. However, a standing crop does not survive on seasonal averages; it survives on the soil moisture actually available in the field today.
THE 40-LAKH-HECTARE QUESTION — WILL CROPS BE LOST BEFORE GOVERNMENT FIGURES ARRIVE?
Cotton, soybean, pigeon pea, green gram and black gram are the livelihood crops of the six districts of Western Vidarbha.
There is an urgent need for an independent scientific damage assessment of approximately 40 lakh hectares of Kharif cultivation in this vast rainfed belt.
There is a serious possibility of square, flower and boll shedding in cotton. In soybean, water stress during flowering and pod-filling can directly affect yields. The growth of pigeon pea and other pulses is being stunted.
“The government must not wait for the entire crop to dry up before conducting a panchnama of 40 lakh hectares. Within the next seven days, the actual ground situation must be brought before the country using satellite data, soil-moisture measurements, field-level crop assessment and village-wise surveys,” Tiwari demanded.
CLIMATE CHANGE’S NEW CRISIS — EXTREME RAINFALL FOLLOWED BY MONTH-LONG DRY SPELLS
Tiwari said this year’s situation cannot be dismissed merely as irregular rainfall in a single year.
Long-term scientific studies of central India have found that while regular moderate monsoon rainfall has declined, extreme rainfall events have increased. As a result, farmers are increasingly forced to face contradictory crises within the same agricultural season—excessive rainfall followed by prolonged dry spells.
“Earlier, farmers faced either drought or excessive rainfall. Now, in the same season, they face excessive rainfall, followed by a prolonged dry spell, then sudden torrential rain and rising temperatures. Agricultural policy, however, continues to operate on assumptions based on the old climate pattern,” Tiwari said.
He has therefore demanded an independent 25-year taluka-wise climate-agriculture audit covering rainfall, number of rainy days, consecutive dry days, extreme rainfall, temperature, evaporation, soil moisture and crop yields.
DROUGHT CRITERIA EXIST — WHY IS THE GOVERNMENT WAITING TO ACT?
Maharashtra’s drought assessment methodology considers not only rainfall deviation, but also dry spells, sowing conditions, vegetation indices and soil moisture.
Therefore, an immediate taluka-wise scientific assessment of Western Vidarbha should be undertaken and the process of declaring drought in eligible areas should begin.
“The government should not hide the district-wise rainfall deficit of 60% to 80% in August by merely showing the average for the entire season. In agriculture, the timing of rainfall is as important as the total quantity of rainfall,” Tiwari said.
815 FARMER SUICIDES IN SIX MONTHS — HOW MANY MORE LIVES WILL THE NEW CROP FAILURE CRISIS CLAIM?
The current monsoon crisis cannot be separated from the already serious background of farmer suicides in Western Vidarbha.
According to the press note, 415 farmer suicides were recorded in five districts of the Amravati division between January and June 2026—Yavatmal 128, Akola 130, Amravati 176, Buldhana 169, and Washim 112.
The new crop-failure crisis has therefore struck a region already trapped in a serious cycle of debt, income uncertainty and farmer suicides.
“To look at these 815 deaths as individual failures is to escape reality. When crop loans, production costs, market prices, insurance, irrigation and climate shocks converge, the farmer collapses financially. The potential crop failure across 40 lakh hectares could make this crisis even more devastating,” Tiwari warned.
A CRISIS BEFORE THE WORLD SINCE 1995 — PRIME MINISTER VISITED IN 2006; NATIONAL INTERVENTION NEEDED AGAIN IN 2026
Farmer suicides in Western Vidarbha are not a crisis that has emerged today.
Since the mid-1990s, the crisis in the cotton-growing belt has attracted national and international attention. The state and central governments subsequently announced several relief and rehabilitation programmes.
In 2006, then Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh personally visited the suicide-affected areas of Amravati, Wardha and Yavatmal and interacted with farmers and families affected by farmer suicides.
Following the visit, special programmes related to credit, interest relief, fresh institutional credit, irrigation and livelihoods were taken forward for Vidarbha.
At that time, the Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti and Kishor Tiwari had consistently brought the reality of farmer suicides in Western Vidarbha to national and international attention. Several policy interventions, including the national agricultural loan waiver, followed.
“Twenty years later, if farmers are still dying by suicide in the same region and climate change has now placed the Kharif economy spread across 40 lakh hectares under threat, it is time to examine the success and failure of the old packages and completely change the policy approach,” Tiwari said.
PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI SHOULD VISIT WESTERN VIDARBHA
Kishor Tiwari appealed to the Prime Minister:
“Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji, Western Vidarbha is once again standing at the threshold of a historic crisis. In 2006, then Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh visited this suicide-affected region and sat in farmers’ homes to listen to their suffering. Today, climate change has made the crisis even more complex. Instead of looking at files in Delhi and state-level rainfall averages, you should personally visit the farms of Yavatmal, Amravati, Akola, Washim, Buldhana and Wardha. See the cotton and soybean crops drying up, speak to farmer widows, listen to tribal and rainfed farmers, and then announce an Integrated Agricultural Crisis Elimination Programme for Western Vidarbha.”
THIS IS NOT ONLY ABOUT LOAN WAIVERS — GUARANTEE FRESH CROP LOANS
If farmers are unable to obtain fresh crop loans because of old outstanding debt, they are pushed into the trap of private moneylenders.
Therefore, eligible farmers in crisis must be guaranteed adequate institutional crop credit before the agricultural season begins.
A branch-wise social audit of bank lending should be conducted, with applications, approvals, rejections and reasons for rejection made public.
Special arrangements should be made for tribal farmers, Forest Rights Act beneficiaries, small and marginal farmers, and farmers facing documentation difficulties.
GIVE FARMERS FREEDOM TO CHOOSE CROPS AND SEED TECHNOLOGY
It is not appropriate to keep Western Vidarbha permanently trapped in a high-risk cotton-soybean cycle.
Farmers must have genuine freedom to choose crops and certified, legal seed technologies according to local soil conditions, available water, climate and market requirements.
Public agricultural universities and research institutions should undertake large-scale research on varieties capable of withstanding low rainfall, heat and prolonged dry spells.
RAISING MSP IS NOT ENOUGH — GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT MUST TAKE PLACE AT MSP
For 2026-27, the Centre has fixed the Minimum Support Prices (MSP) at:
- Yellow soybean — ₹5,708 per quintal
- Pigeon pea (tur) — ₹8,450 per quintal
- Medium-staple cotton — ₹8,267 per quintal
- Long-staple cotton — ₹8,667 per quintal
However, if there is a gap between the announced MSP and the price actually received by farmers in the market, the announcement becomes meaningless.
Therefore, government procurement of cotton, soybean and pigeon pea must begin from the first day of the procurement season at MSP and in adequate quantities.
MSP ON ONE HAND, DUTY-FREE COTTON IMPORTS ON THE OTHER — WHO WILL PROTECT THE FARMER’S PRICE?
The Centre has temporarily waived customs duty on cotton imports from June 1 to October 31, 2026.
“The textile industry may need cheaper raw material, but why should the cotton producer of Vidarbha pay the price? While framing import-export policy, an independent assessment of its impact on farmers’ incomes should be made mandatory,” Tiwari demanded.
He has also called for mandatory farmer-impact assessments for import-export decisions concerning cotton, soybean, edible oils and pulses.
CROP INSURANCE MUST NOT BE A BUSINESS FOR INSURANCE COMPANIES — IT MUST BE A RIGHT OF DISASTER-AFFECTED FARMERS
Since drought and dry spells are among the risks covered under crop insurance, the actual situation in Western Vidarbha should be assessed immediately and the compensation process for eligible farmers should begin.
District-wise information should be made public showing:
- Number of claims received
- Number of claims approved
- Number of claims rejected
- Premiums received by insurance companies
- Compensation actually paid to farmers
IMMEDIATE 12-POINT “INTEGRATED AGRICULTURAL CRISIS ELIMINATION PROGRAMME” FOR WESTERN VIDARBHA
1. Immediate scientific assessment of drought
Assess rainfall, dry spells, soil moisture and crop conditions in all six districts and declare drought in eligible areas.
2. Special survey of 40 lakh hectares
Conduct satellite-based and physical field assessments of the cotton-soybean-pigeon pea belt within seven days.
3. Compensation
Provide minimum special assistance of ₹50,000 per hectare in areas where severe crop damage is established.
4. Credit protection
Stop coercive recovery, restructure/waive eligible loans and make fresh crop loans available.
5. Comprehensive crop-insurance protection
Expedite settlement of eligible farmers’ claims and provide adequate compensation.
6. MSP and government procurement
Open adequate procurement centres to ensure actual procurement of cotton, soybean and pigeon pea at the announced MSP.
7. Freedom of crop and seed choice
Promote climate-compatible crop diversification, public seed research and informed access to legal modern technologies.
8. Water security
Give priority to farm ponds, micro-irrigation, groundwater recharge, water conservation and village-level water budgeting.
9. Protection through import-export policy
Before every major agricultural import-export decision, assess its impact on the income of Indian producers.
10. Rehabilitation of families affected by farmer suicides
Provide every eligible family with at least ₹10 lakh assistance, education for children, healthcare protection, livelihood support for widows, and employment/skill assistance.
11. Security for agricultural labourers and landless workers
Introduce a special programme to provide 200 days of employment in crisis-affected areas along with strong food-security measures.
12. White Paper and early-warning economic distress system
Publish a White Paper covering farmer suicides since 2001, relief packages, credit, irrigation, insurance, market prices and the impact of climate change.
Establish a village-level early-warning system to identify families facing economic distress.
“IF WE SAVE THE CROPS ON 40 LAKH HECTARES, WE CAN SAVE LAKH OF FAMILIES”
“The central issue today is the crops spread across 40 lakh hectares and the future of the millions of rural families dependent on those crops. Rainfall is not in the government’s hands. But after rainfall has failed, whether the farmer is left alone at the doors of banks, insurance companies and markets, or whether the entire government machinery stands behind him—that is in the government’s hands.”
“In 2006, the country took note of farmer suicides in Vidarbha. In 2026, climate change has made the nature of the crisis even more serious. This time, do not postpone the problem by announcing just another package. Give the region a permanent programme that brings together credit, crops, seed technology, water, crop insurance, MSP, government procurement, import-export policy, employment and social security under one framework.”
“If the government intervenes today, crops can be saved, farmers can be saved, and thousands of families can be prevented from entering a new cycle of debt and suicides. Rather than providing compensation after the season is over, saving the standing crop and the living farmer today must be the government’s first responsibility.”
.jpg)
