Diesel crunch & price hike push Marathwada farmers to brink as mechanised farming costs surge

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Farmers across Marathwada are staring at an agrarian crisis even before the kharif sowing season begins, as an acute diesel shortage, frequent fuel price hikes and rising mechanisation costs disrupt preparations on the ground. This situation sharply contradicts official claims of no fuel scarcity.

Across all eight districts — Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Parbhani, Latur, Beed, Nanded, Jalna, Hingoli and Dharashiv —farmers have reported long queues at petrol pumps and irregular diesel supply. This has severely affected essential pre-sowing activities like ploughing, rotavator work and land preparation. The latest diesel price hike, the fourth in just 10 days, has further escalated costs.

All India Kisan Sabha president Rajan Kshirsagar termed the situation a ‘manmade disaster'. "Union govt’s foreign policy is responsible for this. And now the heat is reaching the grassroots, including farmers in the remotest parts of the country," he said.

With traditional bullock-driven farming now largely obsolete, agriculture in Marathwada has become heavily dependent on diesel-powered machinery like tractors. Farmers said this dependence had made them especially vulnerable to fuel shortages. Tractor operators, citing rising diesel costs and supply issues, have significantly increased their rates. In Hingoli district, soybean farmer Shivaji Kendre said, “Tilling charges have surged from around Rs 1,000 per acre last season to between Rs 1,500 and Rs 1,800 now.”

Other farm operations have become costlier as well. Farmer Tukaram Wagh said, “Ploughing charges, which were about Rs 1,800 per acre last year, have crossed Rs 2,300 in many villages. Rotavator charges have risen from about Rs 600 to Rs 900 per acre, while secondary tilling costs have increased from Rs 800 to nearly Rs 1,200 in some talukas.”

JCB operators involved in farm-related tasks like land levelling, pipeline digging and bund strengthening have raised their rates too — by Rs 500-800 per acre. Farmer leader Deepak Joshi said, “The diesel shortage is forcing farmers to spend hours, or even entire nights, waiting for fuel, and then negotiating higher machinery costs. This comes at a time when rainfall forecasts remain uncertain and fertiliser prices are already high.”

The crisis has been particularly severe in Parbhani district. In Manwat taluka, tensions over fuel scarcity recently led to a violent clash at a petrol pump, briefly disrupting fuel distribution.

Farmers have also raised concerns about the lack of clarity on farm credit and loan waivers. Despite earlier assurances that relief measures would be implemented before the kharif season, many banks have yet to begin fresh credit disbursal or provide details on loan restructuring, they said. “We are still waiting for clarity,” farmer Balu Shinde from Warudi village said.

Agricultural economists warned that if the diesel shortage continued for the next few weeks, it could significantly impact kharif output. Marathwada, already prone to erratic rainfall and drought-like conditions, relies heavily on timely mechanised farming during the sowing window. An agriculture expert said, “Even a delay of one to two weeks in land preparation could adversely affect sowing schedules and crop yields in the rain-fed regions.”