Written by Shubhangi KhapreMumbai | September 23, 2025 10:57 PM IST 4 min readWithout financial support from the government, the farmers will not be able to withstand the crisis.Acknowledging floods in the drought-prone Marathwada region was unprecedented, Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana president RAJU SHETTI warned of serious ramifications if the state government did not rise to the climate challenges in agriculture with greater urgency as it the threatened lives and livelihood of farmers. In an interview with SHUBHANGI KHAPRE, he reflects on the problems and solutions.ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW VIDEOQ) How will the floods impact the agriculture sector in Maharashtra?A) The flood situation has compounded the crisis for farmers, who had already been reeling under financial stress and uncertainty due to the ongoing tariff war between India and the United States. From the ground assessment, it appears at least 25 lakh hectare of standing crops have been damaged due to floods. The heavy rain continues to lash several parts of the state, which is a cause of serious concern and worry.Q) The cabinet announced Rs 2,015 crore relief to farmers for crop loss.A) Given the gravity of the situation which is far more serious than we can imagine, it is not enough. The one time amount will not help farmers withstand the natural calamity.Q) What should be the way ahead?A) The government should immediately announce a complete loan waiver for the farmers who have taken bank loans to sow kharif. Those who have sought funds from private money lenders or raised money through other sources should also be considered under a different category. Without financial support from the government, the farmers will not be able to withstand the crisis. Even today, on an average, eight farmers commit suicide due to financial distress. If you don’t hold their hands, the numbers will rise alarmingly in the coming days.Q) Marathwada region is drought prone? How would you explain floods?Story continues below this adA) What we are witnessing currently is unprecedented flooding across Nanded, Beed, Hingoli, Dharashiv and Jalna. Even parts of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Latur have been lashed by heavy rains. In the past, Marathwada region often received rains which were short lived. The intensity was low. The floods can be attributed to climate challenges. Though a global issue, we have to realise its seriousness and take strong remedial measures to understand and work towards flood mitigation measures. It is indeed a subject of research. This is not a one time development… Such things will reoccur taking different forms and we have to be prepared to tackle it. Over the years we have sensed rise in temperatures, humidity along with water evaporation from dams.Q) How do you prepare farmers to cope with the crisis?A) There are no easy solutions in sight. What can be done is the Centre-state will have to stand by the farmers to support the agriculture sector. In Maharashtra, at least four to five crore farmers are adversely affected by natural calamities. What is their fault? They have sincerely toiled in the fields. Within minutes, their crops are ruined. They are devastated. Therefore, farmers should be the priority of the Centre-state. In the years to come, we have to relook at developing native varieties with greater resistance to withstand climatic changes. Along with crop diversification, some strong measures will be enforced to make farming sustainable.Q) But are these not already on the government agenda?Story continues below this adA) Our focus has been on higher production of crops in less time. For example, a crop which took six months is cultivated within three months through genetically modified seeds. As a result their resistance to natural calamity is much lower. There are multiple factors which will have to be researched by agriculture scientists and experts.Q) How do you view the Trump tariff impact in the agriculture sector?A) What US President Donald Trump wants is unregulated access to the Indian market in the agriculture sector. Which means allowing the US absolute freedom to import their agriculture goods. When you have cotton, maize and soybean from the US, it will badly hit our farmers. Majority of farmers in Marathwada and Vidarbha cultivate cotton, soybean and maize. They will be devastated. We have to understand the majority of our farmers have smaller land holdings, which make them vulnerable. In addition, state farmers are still not equipped with advanced technology, which is the mainstay of agriculture abroad.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Maharashtra