Farmer Sends ₹5,000 Back to Maharashtra CM in Protest: Spent ₹25,000 on Crops, Earned Just ₹3,900

A soybean farmer in Maharashtra's Dharashiv district has sent a money order of ₹5,000 to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to protest what he considers inadequate interim drought relief. The farmer's gesture has drawn attention to the financial difficulties faced by agricultural families as crop losses and rising cultivation costs put pressure on their livelihoods.

Chand Shaikh, a farmer from Surdi village in Dharashiv tehsil, said he spent approximately ₹25,000 cultivating soybeans on 1.5 acres of land. However, the crop yielded only around 60 kilograms, generating an income of just ₹3,900, according to his account. The sharp difference between his cultivation expenses and earnings left him struggling to recover his investment.

The protest followed the Maharashtra government's announcement of ₹5,000 in immediate financial assistance for farmers in drought-affected areas ahead of Diwali. The state expanded its drought-affected list to 305 of Maharashtra's 358 talukas. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the advance assistance was intended to provide urgent support while the broader assessment and relief process continued.

Shaikh sent the same ₹5,000 amount to the Chief Minister as a symbolic expression of dissatisfaction with the announced assistance. He also said he borrowed ₹1,100 from a friend to arrange the money order. The incident has renewed attention on the challenges facing drought-hit farmers and the debate over whether interim financial assistance is sufficient to address crop losses, mounting agricultural expenses and debt pressures.