Rajendra Lomte thought a good crop this year would help clear his debts and leave him enough savings to get married. Instead, his 12-acre mango field in Deolali village was wrecked by a powerful hailstorm in early March. It lasted for just half an hour but damaged all the trees and killed the budding fruit.
Burdened with losses worth Rs. 5 lakh, the 34-year-old farmer had no answer for banks’ repeated calls for repayment of his loan. On March 12, he emptied a bottle of petrol on himself and set himself on fire.
The educated farmer, a postgraduate, died on March 18, one of the casualties of the unseasonal rains and hailstorms that have swept through 28 of Maharashtra’s 35 districts over the last month.
The calamity has destroyed over 19 lakh hectares of crop so far. At least 38 farmers have committed suicide across the State since February 22, when the hailstorms struck. Six of these suicides have been reported from Osmanabad.
“We had faced a drought in 2013 and were hoping for a good crop this year. We thought we could compensate for last year’s losses till the hailstorm hit,” said Mr. Lomte’s younger brother Kamlakar.
Fearing a backlash from farmers in the coming polls, the Maharashtra Cabinet has approved a special package of almost Rs. 4,000 crore for the affected region. It has also asked the Centre for relief worth Rs. 5,000 crore. However, with the model code of conduct in force, any aid needs approval from the Election Commission of India.
‘Selfish politicians’Meanwhile, farmers are getting frustrated. Mahadev Mali, who lost grapes worth Rs. 18 lakh said no help was forthcoming from political leaders, who disappeared after electioneering. “Whatever help the govenrment has announced will not really help. Waiving interest is not enough, they should have waive our loans,” said Mr. Mali.
‘Relief awaited’Osmanabad collector Dr. Prashant Narnavare said, “We have submitted details on crop destruction to the government. The relief will be disbursed shortly.”
Anil Kulkarni, 49, resident of Alani village, committed suicide by jumping into a well on March 15.
Threats from local moneylenders pushed him over the edge. His elder daughter, Anuja, was preparing for her Class-X exam when she heard the news.
