A total of 899 farmer have died by suicide in Maharashtra’s Marathwada region between January and October this year, according to official data. Of these, 537 suicides occurred in just six months—from May 1 to October 31—when heavy rains and floods caused widespread crop destruction.
Minister of State for Agriculture Ashish Jaiswal said the government is taking the situation seriously and has significantly increased spending on agricultural schemes and farmer incentives to Rs 1 lakh crore.
Data from the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar divisional commissioner’s office shows that the continuous cycle of extreme weather, especially during the monsoon and flood period, has had a devastating impact on farmers’ livelihoods, contributing to the alarming rise in suicides.
District Wise Farmer Suicide Recorded in Maharashtra’s Marathwada in Six Month
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar recorded 112
Jalna Recorded 32
Parbhani Recorded 45
Hingoli Recorded 33
Nanded Recorded 90
Beed Recorded 108
Latur Recorded 47
Dharashiv Recorded 70
The Maharashtra government has announced a compensation package of nearly ₹32,000 crore for farmers affected across the Marathwada region. The districts includes of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Nanded, Parbhani, Hingoli, Latur, Beed and Dharashiv.
Recent excess rainfall and severe flooding have caused extensive damage. That caused leading to the loss of 12 lives, destruction of around 1,300 houses, and the death of 357 livestock.
Farmer leader and former MP Raju Shetti expressed deep concern over the rising number of suicides, noting that unseasonal rain, flash floods, and a prolonged monsoon have devastated orchards and farmlands.
He criticised the compensation system, citing cases where farmers received extremely low payouts.
“In one instance, a banana grower who had negotiated a deal for nearly 100 tonnes at ₹25,000 per tonne received only ₹25,000 after the Sina river floods wiped out his entire crop. There are numerous similar cases,” Shetti said.
Agriculture Minister Dhananjay Jaiswal told PTI that the government is currently spending nearly ₹1 lakh crore on various farmer-support schemes and incentives—far exceeding the agriculture department’s annual budget of ₹23,000 crore. He said the scale of direct financial aid will be increased in the coming months.
