Mumbai: Lakhs of women toiling in the agriculture sector in the state are seen as labourers and not farmers because the land on which they work is not in their name, but in the name of male relatives. On Thursday, the state assembly passed Maharashtra Women Farmers Empowerment Bill 2026, aimed at recognising women who are engaged in agriculture and allied activities as farmers irrespective of whether they own land.The Bill seeks to correct the historic exclusion of women farmers from credit welfare schemes which are available to land-owning farmers. “The requirement of land ownership as a pre-condition for benefits had rendered these inaccessible to many women farmers since only a small percentage own land,” the Bill states. The Bill provides for a Woman Farmer Certificate which will give them access to entitlements, benefits, subsidies, services, loans and markets. “This is the first such Bill in the country. Other states will soon follow our example,” said state agriculture minister Dattatreya Bharne. The Bill is the biggest initiative for women in the state after the Ladki Bahin scheme introduced in 2024.While the Bill was passed unanimously, several members of the Opposition said women farmers could not be empowered in reality until the state mandated that land should be in their names.“The govt is fooling women. It should pass a Bill mandating that 50% of farm land should be in the name of women,” said NCP SP leader Jayant Patil. However, Bharne said, “The aim of the Bill is not ownership but to give women the respect and identity as farmers. And allow them access to multiple facilities,” said Bharne.The Bill expands the scope of agriculture to include animal husbandry, poultry, bee-keeping, fishing, aquaculture, floriculture, horticulture, dairy farming and composting. Hence women working in these areas can apply for the farmer certificate.A woman farmer, according to the Bill, is any resident of Maharashtra who is involved in agriculture and includes landless labourers, operational holders and lessee cultivators. They have to be engaged in agriculture in the state for at least one season per year.Any woman who is over 18 years residing in the area of a village panchayat or nagar panchayat who is a farmer, is eligible to apply for the Woman Farmer Certificate.The term land includes trees and crop land, reservoirs or canals on the land for the purpose of farming and sites of farm buildings.The govt has proposed the creation of a women farmer database to maintain official records of women involved in agriculture. The legislation also proposes setting up a Maharashtra State Fund for Women Farmers to provide financial support and promote schemes focused on women engaged in agriculture.“The govt has also proposed the establishment of a Women Farmers Empowerment cell, Women Farmers Empowerment Council and a State Monitoring Committee. These bodies will oversee implementation of policies, coordinate with various departments and monitor the progress of programmes introduced for women farmers,” states the Bill.The Opposition said the state had introduced the Bill because its Ladki Bahin scheme had run out of steam. “The govt has dropped 80 lakh women from the Ladki Bahin scheme and it is not giving them gains any more. That’s why it has introduced this Bill,” said NCP SP’s Jayant Patil.
