Thousands of farmers from Maharashtra have committed suicide over the last few years due to their inability to pay bank loans in the backdrop of crop failure.
"Farmers undertook sowing operations, based on the IMD forecast. But after a brief initial spell, there has been no rain and farmers are staring at a bleak future, with the sowing operations having gone waste," Gangabhishan Thaware, 54, a farmer from Anandgaon village in Beed district, told PTI.
Farmers have also written to state Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for help.
"IMD officials and those in concerned seed and fertilizer companies, who colluded with each other and gave an inflated monsoon forecast are responsible for the plight of farmers and should be taken to task," the farmer said.
Experts accused wrong practices promoted by the government in the past for the agrarian crisis that is staring at the country. They blamed companies like Monsanto for farmers' debt crisis. Since 1998, cotton seed price been increased by 71000% mainly due to royalties.
"I do not think there is any nexus between seed companies and IMD officials. IMD's forecasts are based on satellite imagery and other scientific data, and it always has minor discrepancies in the final figure. And there are also private companies which forecast the average rainfall during crop seasons," agricultural expert Durgesh Sharma told Sputnik, demolishing the Beed farmer's accusation.
