Mungantiwar urges Fadnavis to pay Rs 20,000 per hectare bonus to paddy farmers for two seasons

Mumbai: MLA Sudhir Mungantiwar has demanded that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis not keep pending any longer the decision on a bonus of Rs 20,000 per hectare for paddy-growing farmers. In a detailed memorandum submitted to the Chief Minister, he has sought the bonus for eligible farmers of both the 2025-26 and 2026-27 kharif seasons.

Mungantiwar had raised the issue in the Assembly through a calling-attention notice and has since pursued it at various levels of government. He pressed the demand again, firmly, during a meeting with the Chief Minister on November 9 at Varsha, the Chief Minister's official residence in Mumbai. Fadnavis has since directed the Principal Secretary of the Agriculture Department to take action.

Mungantiwar said paddy farmers hit by drought need direct financial assistance, not just assurances. In the memorandum he wrote that drought conditions in the state have created a major financial crisis for farmers. Erratic rain, its prolonged spell, damage to crop growth and falling yields due to water shortage have hit farmers' incomes.

According to him, the costs of seed, fertiliser, pesticide, labour, diesel and irrigation keep rising, while there is no guarantee of a good harvest given the vagaries of nature. Farmers are worried whether a full income will reach their hands even after a year of toil. Loan instalments, children's education, household expenses and the money for sowing the next season rest on their shoulders.

Mungantiwar said in the memorandum that the entire economy of paddy farmers in eastern Vidarbha, including Chandrapur, depends on this crop. Paddy cultivation is not merely a source of earnings for them but the means of livelihood for thousands of families. Income is falling short of rising costs. A bonus of Rs 20,000 per hectare, he said, could give farmers major relief. He has therefore asked the government to decide on the demand immediately, given the severity of the drought.

The bonus for the last kharif season is a key point in the demand. The government has usually announced its decision on the paddy bonus in March. But the bonus for the 2025-26 kharif season has not been announced so far. The 2026-27 kharif season is now also drawing to a close with no clear decision on the previous season's bonus, leaving farmers confused and angry. Even as they wait for one season's bonus, the cost of cultivating the next season has arrived. For this reason, Mungantiwar has demanded separate bonuses for both seasons.

Mungantiwar had earlier also drawn the government's attention to the issue through a calling-attention notice in the Assembly session. Rather than stopping at raising the question in the House, he has continued to pursue the demand through meetings at the Vidhan Bhavan, discussions with the ministers concerned, memorandums and continuous correspondence.

Mungantiwar said paddy farmers are today drawing the government's attention to their legitimate demand through agitation. He said it is a matter of concern that farmers have to take to the streets for financial help, and the government should understand the seriousness of their plight before it comes to an agitation. He said standing with farmers in times of drought, looking after their costs and taking a firm decision to give them financial stability is an important responsibility of the government. He once again reiterated the demand to announce a bonus of Rs 20,000 per hectare for both kharif seasons.