AURANGABAD - Farmers in Maharashtra burnt their crops after they suffered heavy losses due to damage to hybrid orange in the region, on account of water shortage.

Villages in the outskirts of Aurangabad like Paithon, Pachod, Adul and Rihandawa are the worst affected.

More than three thousand farmers are affected by the crop damage as approximately around 3,053 hectares of hybrid orange farms have dried up in the area. There is massive water shortage in the villages, even for daily use.

“For the past eight years, there is water scarcity in the area as it has not rained much. We tried irrigating our fields through water tankers. But, it did not help us. Panchod, Adul and Rihandawa villages are affected. Now, farmers are cutting trees and burning their farms”, said Habib Khan Pathan, a farmer of Panchod village.

Earlier, these villages were known for good production of hybrid orange crops which brought profits to the farmers. But the situation is bad now.

“I had no job. So I started farming. The rainfall was very scanty and there is water shortage in the region. I paid four hundred rupees for water tankers. I got benefit just for one year. After that I faced huge losses. The representatives of our village are doing nothing to help us. Now, I have no option but to burn my dry farms,” said Buvan, a farmer of Adul village.

Though, these farmers have approached government for help, no aid has reached them yet.

In India, annual monsoon rains are crucial for good yield. The four-month monsoon is the main source of water for most farmers.

India is basically an agricultural economy and about 600 million of the billion-plus population depends on agriculture for a living. By Abdul Hadi (ANI)