article_snippet.sent: Unseasonal rain and hail destroyed many crops earlier this year.
article_snippet.sent: But many crops've also had to contend with the flipside: a plentiful harvest in 2014 drove prices down while production costs rose, leaving many farmers either lacking income or burdened with debt from loans taken out to help keep many crops afloat.
article_snippet.sent: Last year was a record year for cotton production, resulting in a glut of cotton on the world market.
article_snippet.sent: India produced 40 million bales of the fiber in 2013/14 crop year, and is the second largest global cotton grower, after China.
article_snippet.sent: The record surplus of cotton in the world market pushed down prices hurting farmers, particularly in Vidarbha, which is becoming increasingly reliant on cotton.
article_snippet.sent: Our land mostly supports only two crops: cotton and soybean.
article_snippet.sent: But for the past few years, soybean yield has consistently been decreasing.
article_snippet.sent: Murali Dhidkar, a local cotton farmer said in the past year, cotton prices had halved.
article_snippet.sent: The costs of pesticides, fertilizers and seeds are increasing but the cotton price is falling down.
highlights_snippet.sent: Farmers are becoming burdened with debt due to falling prices but rising costs .