Chandrashekhar Umate in his cotton farm
Sown across roughly 38 lakh hectares this kharif season, the crop has been battered by a prolonged dry spell lasting 30 to 45 days, accompanied by intense heat stress. Instead of the usual 40 to 50 bolls on each plant, many farmers are finding only four to 12. We spend at least Rs 35,000 an acre on cotton.
This year, I’d be lucky to get four,” he said. Yavatmal : Every morning, Chandrashekhar Umate walks through his cotton field, checking what is wrong. The flowers are gone. The bolls are few. The plants barely reach his knees. A crop that should have stood waist-high and heavy with cotton now looks tired and stunted under an unforgiving Oct sun. For farmers across Maharashtra ’s vast cotton belt, the drought is reflected in every shrivelled plant, every empty boll and every calculation scribbled on the back of a loan passbook. Cotton, the backbone of rain-fed agriculture across northern, central and eastern Maharashtra, has taken a severe hit after the monsoon failed large parts of the state. The result is stark. Flowers and young bolls have withered and fallen before maturity as the soil ran out of moisture. For Umate, who grows cotton on four acres in Washim district’s Mangrulpir taluka, the damage is already beyond repair. “A normal rain-fed crop gives us around seven quintals an acre. “The crop has simply not developed. At this rate, I don’t know if I will even recover my costs,” he added. Stunted cotton crop farm
Yavatmal has received only about 78% of its average seasonal rainfall.
The crop failed to attain normal height after the prolonged dry spell, according to Dhage. Fewer squares and flowers developed, directly affecting yield potential. large parts of the district remain in deficit While a handful of talukas recorded normal or surplus precipitation. The situation is particularly worrying in Ralegaon and Babhulgaon, where many farmers are uncertain whether their crops will survive until harvest.
Cotton production could decline by nearly 50%.”
“All three major kharif crops have suffered,” said Manoj Dhage, superintendent of agriculture, Yavatmal. The impact is most visible in Yavatmal, often described as the heart of Maharashtra’s cotton country. “Rain arrived late and remained far below normal.
“Many farmers borrowed Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2 lakh to meet sowing expenses. With production expected to fall sharply, farmer groups have urged the Centre not to extend duty-free cotton imports beyond Oct 31, arguing that cheaper imports could further depress domestic prices during a low-yield year. The crop is practically lost. However, in the cotton fields of Vidarbha, relief still feels distant. (with inputs from Sandip Dighe in Pune) You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Nagpur | Silver Rate in Nagpur | Bank Holidays in Nagpur | Public Holidays in Nagpur | Petrol Price in Nagpur | Diesel Price in Nagpur | CNG Price in Nagpur | LPG Price in Nagpur Stay updated with the latest Nagpur news.
We need govt support,” he said. “The future looks bleak,” he said. During a recent visit to Amravati, revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said govt was taking measures to support affected farmers. Officials will conduct crop-loss assessments and extend necessary concessions,” he said.
What worries him even more is the debt hanging over the season. We expected to repay it after harvest. Now, the crop itself is uncertain. Across Vidarbha and parts of Marathwada, similar stories are unfolding. The season began badly and never recovered. June remained largely dry in many cotton-growing districts. When rain finally arrived in late July, it poured heavily over just a couple of days. Instead of rescuing the crop, the excess rain damaged young plants. Aug then brought another long dry spell, leaving crops starved of moisture during a crucial growth stage. In Babhulgaon, farmer Anup Chavhan sees little hope left in the season. “We are not expecting any more rain. Farmers are already worrying about how to repay loans and how they will arrange money for the next season. The distress comes at a time when cotton growers were already grappling with rising cultivation costs and volatile market prices. For many cultivators, however, prices are a secondary concern. First, there has to be a harvest. “Govt is making every effort to help farmers. Debt-waiver benefits and incentive grants are being provided. Download the TOI App.