Mumbai, June 25: A heated debate erupted in the Maharashtra Assembly on Thursday as legislators confronted Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharne regarding the announced economic compensation package for mango and cashew farmers in the Konkan region. These farmers have suffered crop losses due to unseasonal rains and climate change.
Tensions rose during the session when lawmakers criticized the proposed compensation amount as inadequate, accusing the administration of neglecting the plight of Konkan farmers. The controversy intensified when Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) MLA Nilesh Rane harshly criticized the Agriculture Minister in the Assembly. He questioned, “Will you just tell us anything and expect us to remain silent? Are you deceiving farmers by offering them a meager amount per hectare?”
Rane demanded a compensation of ₹170,000 per hectare for mango farmers and ₹120,000 per hectare for cashew farmers. This dispute arose following the state’s proposal to allocate a total of ₹2.09 billion from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) for the Konkan region.
Rane challenged the math behind this amount, stating that distributing it among the large number of affected farmers would result in an insulting sum for each. He reiterated his demand for ₹170,000 for mangoes and ₹120,000 for cashews per hectare. He also alleged that counterfeit pesticides have exacerbated crop damage.
In response, the Agriculture Minister stated that a joint report from the Agriculture Department and Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Agricultural University identified climate change and erratic weather as the primary causes of crop loss. However, Rane questioned the transparency of this report, asking when and where the survey was conducted and by which officials, noting that the documents were only presented as the Assembly session approached.
According to NDRF regulations, affected farmers are to receive assistance of ₹22,500 per hectare. The Minister explained that the government has sent a relief plan of ₹2.09 billion for farmers in the Konkan region. The district-wise assistance includes ₹984.5 million for Ratnagiri (52,628 farmers), ₹790.5 million for Sindhudurg (42,322 farmers), approximately ₹202.8 million for Raigad (17,000 farmers), ₹68.3 million for Palghar (17,712 farmers), and ₹48.4 million for Thane (4,669 farmers).
Additionally, mango and cashew farmers will receive approximately ₹2.17 billion in extra assistance under the weather-based crop insurance scheme. The Agriculture Minister assured that the government would complete the process of depositing NDRF assistance and insurance amounts directly into farmers’ bank accounts within the next 15 days.
Meanwhile, MLA Shekhar Nikam stated that a report on the actual situation in Ratnagiri had already been submitted on June 10, confirming significant losses. He deemed the NDRF amount insufficient and demanded a minimum of ₹100,000 assistance per hectare. He also called for converting agricultural loans from medium-term to direct crop loans and requested loan waivers.
As the uproar escalated, Konkan legislators threatened to halt the proceedings of the House, continuing their protest despite the Speaker’s attempts to move to the next question. To calm the situation, Fisheries Minister Nitesh Rane intervened, stating that the government understands the extraordinary circumstances of the losses. He assured that the government is fully prepared to provide assistance beyond the standard NDRF limits and that the largest financial package ever would be given to Konkan’s mango and cashew farmers.
Following this, the anger of the protesting legislators subsided, and the discussion came to an end.
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