Addressing a function organised to felicitate him over the recently announced farm loan waiver scheme on Wednesday, Fadnavis said the government had already waived electricity bills for agricultural pumps up to 7.5 horsepower. However, many farmers continue to face difficulties in obtaining new power connections because outstanding dues from previous years remain in their names.
“To resolve this issue, the government will take a decision to waive the earlier pending electricity dues amounting to Rs 48,000 crore,” he said.
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Farmers felicitated the chief minister at Yashwantrao Chavan Centre here on Wednesday for announcing the Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Farmer Loan Waiver Scheme, under which loans of up to Rs 2 lakh will be waived.
Fadnavis said the scheme would benefit 56 lakh farmers with a total outlay of Rs 36,585 crore. He added that restrictions applicable to beneficiaries of the earlier Mahatma Jyotirao Phule farmer loan waiver scheme had been removed, enabling them to receive loan waiver benefits up to Rs 2 lakh under the new scheme.
The government has withdrawn the condition requiring regular loan repayment during 2026-27 for eligible farmers to avail benefits, he said.Also Read: Bio-input demand may rise, but skill gap threatens India’s green farming push: Agriculture Commissioner
The state was making substantial investments to ensure sustainable agriculture through irrigation projects, water conservation, cold storage facilities, value addition, food processing industries and improved market linkages. These investments would translate into higher farm incomes over the next few years, the CM noted.
The government was also promoting quality seeds, modern farming techniques, drip and sprinkler irrigation systems, and digital platforms connecting farmers directly with markets through various subsidy schemes, he informed.
The state aimed to make farming more productive and profitable by disseminating new technologies at the village level through partnerships involving agricultural universities, cooperative institutions and the private sector, Fadnavis said.
The Centre and the Maharashtra government together would invest about Rs 95,000 crore in the agriculture sector this year through various schemes, he added.
The chief minister also called for greater adoption of natural farming practices, including the use of Jeevamrut (natural fertiliser), and technologies such as Israeli fertigation systems, fully automated drip irrigation and Artificial Intelligence to reduce cultivation costs and improve soil fertility.
The government was also working on long-term water conservation initiatives, including river-linking projects, to make Maharashtra drought-free, he pointed out.
Referring to annual flooding in the Satara-Sangli region, he said efforts were underway to divert surplus floodwaters to drought-prone Marathwada through diversion barrages.
Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharane, who was also honoured at the event, said the allocation for the farm loan waiver scheme has been enhanced from Rs 36,585 crore to Rs 40,585 crore.
The government has also extended financial assistance to farmers through schemes such as the Dr Punjabrao Deshmukh Crop Loan Scheme, Chief Minister Baliraja Free Power Scheme, PM-Kisan and Namo Shetkari Yojana, he said.