305 of Maharashtra's 358 talukas declared drought-hit; soybean, cotton worst affected

Rainfall was weak in Maharashtra during the 2026 kharif season, and the effect has been felt directly on standing crops. The Mahayuti government led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has declared 305 of the state's 358 talukas drought-affected. Teams from the agriculture and revenue departments are visiting farms to carry out panchnamas and assess crop losses.

The loss figures were presented by Rohit Pawar, MLA of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), during a presentation. According to these figures, farmers in the state have lost about Rs 77,000 crore. Marathwada's share is put at Rs 35,000 crore and Vidarbha's at Rs 22,000 crore, while North Maharashtra, Western Maharashtra and Konkan together account for about Rs 20,000 crore. However, no government estimate confirming this amount is available, so it should not be taken as the final loss or as a figure approved by the government.

Soybean and cotton are expected to be the worst hit. These are the two most important kharif crops in Maharashtra, and together they cover 87.85 lakh hectares, or 64.2 per cent of the area.

In the case of soybean, rain stayed away for a long stretch in August and September. As a result, the crop dried up in the fields before harvest. Rain stopped at the critical pod-formation stage, moisture ran out and the plants turned yellow. Farmers in Marathwada and Vidarbha say soybean yields have fallen by 50 to 60 per cent.

Cotton is counted among the main cash crops of Vidarbha and Marathwada. Lack of rain and high temperatures have affected the growth of plants, flowering and the formation of bolls. Output and the quality of the cotton are feared to be affected.

The normal kharif sowing area in Maharashtra is about 1.44 crore hectares. Sowing this season was done on about 1.37 crore hectares. Besides soybean and cotton, tur, maize and paddy are also important kharif crops, and these too have been affected by the drought. The state agriculture department's August figures had recorded a lower sowing area for maize, paddy and tur than last year.

Attention now turns to the panchnamas and the final loss report. Joint teams of the state government's agriculture and revenue departments are inspecting farms in the drought-hit areas. These surveys will show how much area has suffered crop damage, how many farmers are affected and how much relief will be needed.

As an example, a report dated October 22, 2026 put crop loss in the 10 drought-affected talukas of Nashik district at more than 5.07 lakh hectares, with more than 5.16 lakh landholders affected. This figure is for Nashik district alone, not the whole of Maharashtra.