Mahayuti reverses pre-election hike in crop loss compensation to farmers
MUMBAI: The Mahayuti government, which had hiked the compensation for crop losses before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, cancelled this on Friday and restored a 2023 order which will leave farmers with reduced compensation. With this, the government will save the money it would have had to shell out to farmers for the damages they suffered on account of heavy rains in the past few days.
Following the rains, the administration began a survey of the damage to crops and on Friday, a government resolution (GR) was issued. 'The state cabinet has decided to give compensation to farmers as per the criteria decided by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDRF). So from Kharif 2025, the compensation criteria would be followed as per the order dated March 27, 2023 and the order issued in this regard on January 1, 2024 has been cancelled,' states the GR.
Compensation for farmers is calculated on the basis of crop loss. A particular amount is decided for per-hectare loss based on the type of farming, besides which a limit is put on compensation. The limit, which was two hectares or five acres in the March 2023 order, was hiked to three hectares (or 7.5 acres) by the Eknath Shinde-led Mahayuti government in January 2024. Through the GR issued on Friday, the limit was reversed to two hectares.
The GR also reduced the compensation on different types of farmland: non-irrigated, irrigated and horticulture. The January 2024 GR had hiked the compensation rate for non-irrigated crops from ₹8,500 per hectare to ₹13,600. For crops on irrigated land, it was increased from ₹17,000 per hectare to ₹27,000. For cash crops and fruits, it was hiked to ₹22,500 to ₹36,000 per hectare. All this stands to be reversed now.
The losses to farmers are significant. For example, a farmer owning non-irrigated land would have got up to ₹40,800 in compensation for crop loss on three hectares. Now he will get a maximum of ₹17,000.
After the unseasonal rains in 2023, the then Mahayuti government under chief minister Eknath Shinde, with an eye on the forthcoming Lok Sabha and assembly polls that year, had issued the increased compensation order on January 1, 2024.
Farmer leader and former MP Raju Shetti said that the Mahayuti government had betrayed farmers by cancelling the additional compensation after winning the elections and getting the farmers' votes. 'The Mahayuti government came to power by offering various sops to different sectors,' he said. 'But after winning the elections, it has betrayed all those who voted for it on the strength of sops like Ladki Bahin. This cancellation of additional aid given to farmers in 2024 is another example. This government is a cheat.'
As per the economic survey of Maharashtra, the average agricultural land holding in Maharashtra is 1.34 hectare (3.35 acres) but in areas like Vidarbha (where farmers are already under stress) it is above five acres.
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