Yavatmal, Sept. 23 -- A severe drought has pushed Yavatmal district, particularly Pusad tehsil, into a deepening agricultural crisis, with soybean and cotton crops badly damaged due to inadequate rainfall. Farmers say the situation is particularly alarming as severe drought conditions have emerged as early as September, raising fears of a much deeper crisis in the coming months.

Manish Jadhav, a farmer, said three consecutive years of crop losses have left farmers financially broken. "Soybean and cotton crops have been devastated. Farmers and farm labourers are migrating in search of work, while water and fodder shortages could become the next major crisis. We need immediate relief of Rs 1 lakh per hectare without restrictive conditions,...