Government Stands Firmly with Farmers Facing Losses to Cotton and Pigeon Pea Crops
Nagpur, November 2026: With a prolonged lack of rainfall causing cotton and pigeon pea (tur) plants to dry up, farmers dependent on cotton cultivation are facing severe distress. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has assured farmers that immediate assistance will be provided to those affected by the drought-like conditions.
He gave this assurance to Baburao Kale, a farmer from Kohli village in Kalmeshwar taluka, during his visit to the agricultural fields.
Against the backdrop of the drought situation, the Chief Minister had stayed overnight at Lohari Sawanga village to understand the difficulties faced by farmers and celebrate Diwali with them. On November 8, he visited agricultural fields, inspected the crops and reiterated that the state government would stand by farmers in tackling the crisis.
Inspection of Cotton Fields at Sonegaon Rithi
In the morning, Fadnavis travelled from Lohari Sawanga to Sonegaon Rithi and visited the farm of farmer Dilip Sarode to assess the condition of cotton crops affected by the drought.
Due to inadequate rainfall, cotton plants have failed to grow properly and the cotton bolls have not opened, creating serious difficulties for farmers.
The Chief Minister said farmers should not lose hope under these circumstances and assured them that the government was extending necessary assistance to help them overcome the crisis.
Dilip Sarode also highlighted the growing menace of wild animals, which has compounded agricultural losses. He requested the government to provide solar fencing to protect crops, particularly as drought had already severely affected agricultural production.
Responding to the demand, Chief Minister Fadnavis assured that the solar fencing scheme would be implemented effectively to protect agricultural fields from wild animals.
Relief for Farmers in Kohli
The Chief Minister subsequently visited the farm of Baburao Kale in Kohli village of Kalmeshwar taluka, where he inspected cotton and pigeon pea crops.
He was informed that the prolonged absence of rainfall had caused extensive damage to standing crops.
Fadnavis said that farmers had already received an immediate financial assistance of Rs 5,000 towards crop losses and assured them that the remaining assistance would also be credited to their bank accounts.
He categorically stated that no eligible farmer would be left out of the relief process.
Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, who was present during the visit, explained that registration under AgriStack was generally mandatory for farmers to receive drought relief.
However, considering the difficulties faced by farmers during the drought, the government had relaxed the requirement by allowing offline registration instead of insisting on the online process.
The Chief Minister also noted that food grains were being made available as required in drought-affected areas. He directed officials to prioritise the registration of farmers who did not possess ration cards so that they too could benefit from government assistance.
MLAs Charan Singh Thakur and Rajiv Potdar, along with farmers Vasantrao Chaple, Sandeep Sarode, Dinesh Daple, Sarpanch Bipin Chaple, Nalini Satish Rewatkar and Manohar Kumbhare, were present during the inspection.
Nagpur District Collector Kumar Ashirwad, Chief Executive Officer Vinayak Mahamuni and other senior officials also accompanied the Chief Minister during the field visit.
