Marathwada recorded 32% increase in farmer suicides in 2025

The Marathwada region in Maharashtra recorded 269 cases of farmer suicides between January and March, reported PTI on Tuesday, quoting a report from the divisional commissioner’s office.

This marks a 32% increase in such deaths as compared to the same period in 2024, when 204 farmer suicides were reported.

Among the eight districts in the region, Beed saw the sharpest rise in cases. While 71 farmer suicides were reported in the district in the first three months of 2025, the number was 44 in 2024.

In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, 50 farmers died by suicide between January and March, followed by 37 in Nanded, 33 in Parbhani, 31 in Dharashiv, 18 in Latur, 16 in Hingoli and 13 in Jalna.

The region in central Maharashtra experiences water scarcity due to low rainfall and monsoon variability.

After the report was released, Raju Shetti, former Lok Sabha MP and chief of the Shetkari Sanghatana, a group of cultivators, criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Mahayuti state government and demanded a waiver for agricultural loans, reported PTI.

He said that the government had promised to waive farmers’ loans during the Assembly election in 2024, but did not follow through. This was “like cheating”, said Shetti.

Since 2001, Maharashtra has recorded 39,825 farmer suicides, according to The Times of India. Of these, 22,193 were related to the...

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