MUMBAI, March 23 -- Unseasonal rain and hailstorms sweeping across Maharashtra over the past few days have damaged standing rabi crops on more than 56,000 acres, delivering a fresh blow to an already fragile farm economy and heightening concerns over deepening agrarian distress. The losses come at a time when rural stress indicators remain stark. In the first nine months of 2025, the state reported 781 farmer suicides, with the Nagpur division in Vidarbha alone accounting for 296 deaths, a region long marked by rain-fed agriculture, climate volatility, and recurring crop failures. Rabi crops, sown in winter (October-December) and harvested in spring (March-April), include staples such as wheat and pulses, along with high-value crops like onion, grapes and vegetables. Losses at this stage, just weeks before harvest, directly impact both food supply and farmer incomes. The current spell of damage follows a turbulent agricultural year. According to the state's Economic Survey, Maharashtra's agricultural growth rate has sharply declined from 9.1% in 2024-25 to 3.4% in 2025-26, largely due to erratic weather and repeated natural shocks. Earlier, during the Kharif season, typically spanning June to October and dependent on the monsoon, floods and heavy rainfall had already devastated crops. Around 3 million farmers suffered losses across 6.5 million hectares, prompting the state government to announce a compensation package of Rs.31,628 crore. The latest unseasonal rains have now struck Marathwada, North Maharashtra, parts of western Maharashtra, and Vidarbha, damaging crops such as onion, wheat, pomegranate, grapes, tomato, chilli and other vegetables. Marathwada has emerged as one of the worst-hit regions, with crops across 28,927.5 acres affected. Two people were killed in lightning strikes in Hingoli and Nanded districts. In North Maharashtra, Nashik district reported damage across 18,255 acres, while Jalgaon recorded losses over 8,890 acres. In Vidarbha- among the most climate-vulnerable regions in the state - the impact is particularly concerning. The region's heavy dependence on rain-fed farming, combined with erratic rainfall patterns and mounting debt cycles, has made it a persistent hotspot for farmer suicides. In Buldhana district alone, crops across more than 3,800 hectares have been destroyed in the latest spell. Estimates from western Maharashtra are still awaited, with officials indicating that the overall damage could increase significantly after comprehensive field assessments. With the agrarian crisis persisting for over two years, the state government had recently announced a crop loan waiver of up to Rs.2 lakh in the budget presented by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis....