Severe drought pushes Beed district in Maharashtra toward famine and farmer suicides

An 18% deficit in monsoon rains has left 304 of Maharashtra’s 358 tehsils in drought, and Beed district faces a 37% shortfall, the deepest in a decade. Crop failures are evident across cotton, soybean and sugarcane, with yields slashed and fodder prices rising from Rs 10 to Rs 20 per bundle. Dairy output has fallen as cattle receive less feed, and cattle markets are flooded with animals but lack buyers.

Traders warn of a two-thirds drop in grain supplies, pushing soybean prices up to Rs 6,100 per quintal. The agricultural collapse has driven many farmers into debt, prompting a wave of suicides—153 in Beed this year alone, according to the district collector’s office. The state government has announced free cattle sheds with water and fodder, yet delays risk further loss of livestock and income for families already on the brink.