Mumbai, April 7: The Maharashtra Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, announced on Tuesday that ₹128.65 crore has been allocated to assist farmers impacted by unseasonal rainfall in the state.
This financial aid addresses losses incurred between October and December 2025. Additionally, the state government confirmed that assessments of damages from the recent bout of unseasonal weather at the beginning of 2026 are currently underway.
The unseasonal rainfall in the last quarter of 2025 caused a significant crisis in the agricultural sector. The state government will provide support to 180,574 farmers across 114,752 hectares of agricultural land affected in Chandrapur, Dhule, Gadchiroli, Jalgaon, Nashik, Raigad, and Sindhudurg districts.
Since the start of the new year, the state has faced ongoing weather-related challenges. The cabinet reviewed preliminary data related to unseasonal rainfall from January to April 2026.
Over 145,000 hectares have been affected, impacting 233,000 farmers. Damaged crops include bananas, onions, papayas, mangoes, grapes, wheat, chickpeas, and sorghum.
According to the state government’s initial assessment, unseasonal rainfall and hailstorms in April have resulted in losses for 194,000 farmers across 122,000 hectares of land.
The adverse weather has led to the deaths of nearly five individuals and injuries to nine others. Additionally, 36 livestock have perished. The state government has expedited the damage assessment process to ensure timely assistance.
The state’s Water Resources Department also presented a progress report during the session, highlighting significant infrastructure development since July 2022. Approximately 41 projects have been completed, enhancing storage capacity by 105 TMC and increasing the state’s irrigation capacity by 295,000 hectares.
Since July 2022, 225 projects worth ₹4.35 lakh crore have received administrative and revised approvals.
In a statement, the government indicated that once these projects are completed, the state is expected to achieve a total irrigation capacity of 3.345 million hectares. The statement further emphasized the government’s commitment to supporting the agricultural sector through immediate disaster relief and long-term irrigation infrastructure.
Arpit Soni has had a passion for journalism since the beginning. Now he has turned this hobby into his profession. Arpit, who is a resident of Udaipur, enjoys editing and writing news related to journalism. He has worked as a Senior Content Producer in several important roles at Bhaskar, Patrika, Pratahkal, Punjab Kesari, and Times. Arpit completed his schooling in Udaipur and Jaipur. He has been working in the media industry for more than 10 years, and his journey is still continuing. ✍️📚
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