Maharashtra Crisis: Farmer Suicides in Marathwada Rise Sharply, 269 Cases in 3 Months

Mumbai, 24 April 2025: The agrarian crisis in Maharashtra’s Marathwada region has deepened alarmingly, with 269 farmer suicides reported between January and March 2025 — a 32% rise compared to the same period in 2024, according to data released by the Divisional Commissioner’s Office.

Plagued by repeated crop failures, chronic water shortages, and crippling debt, farmers across the region — which includes Beed, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Dharashiv, Latur, Nanded, Hingoli, Parbhani, and Jalna — are increasingly pushed to the brink.

The Beed district has recorded the highest number of farmer suicides this year, with 71 deaths in the first quarter alone, a significant jump from 44 suicides during the same period last year. The second highest was Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar with 50 suicides, up from 34 in 2024.

Other districts reporting high suicide figures include Nanded (37), Parbhani (33), Dharashiv (31), Latur (18), Hingoli (16), and Jalna (13).

Despite the soaring numbers, financial support for bereaved families has been staggered and inadequate. In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, of the 50 reported suicides, only 15 families have received assistance amounting to ₹18 lakh, while 34 cases are still under review and one case was deemed ineligible.

In Beed, 27 families qualified for assistance, but none have received funds so far. Similarly, Nanded, which recorded 37 deaths, has identified 10 families as eligible, but aid remains undelivered.

Jalna, despite 13 farmer deaths, has seen zero disbursement, even though four families were found eligible. In Parbhani, only eight families received ₹8 lakh, and Hingoli saw just ₹4 lakh disbursed among nine qualifying families.

Urgent Need for Government Action

The Divisional Commissioner’s Office has requested ₹295 lakh in aid from the State Government across the eight districts. The breakdown of requested funds includes:

• Beed: ₹57 lakh

• Nanded: ₹95 lakh

• Dharashiv: ₹59 lakh

• Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: ₹39 lakh

• Jalna: ₹20 lakh

• Latur: ₹25 lakh

This financial appeal underscores the urgent need for direct intervention to aid the families and implement long-term agricultural reforms to address the root causes of farmer distress.

The growing suicide figures reflect the grim reality of the rural economy in Marathwada, where failed monsoons, rising costs of cultivation, and limited institutional support have become a fatal combination. Stakeholders, experts, and farmer unions have repeatedly called for a comprehensive policy approach, including loan waivers, better irrigation, crop insurance reforms, and mental health support for struggling farmers.

As the region braces for the upcoming monsoon, the government faces growing pressure to not only expedite aid to affected families but also to prevent further loss of life through timely and meaningful support.