Latur Osmanabad Pulse Tur Dal Marathwada Drought Maharashtra

Latur and Osmanabad districts in the Marathwada region grow tur dal (arhar, Cajanus cajan) as the principal kharif crop on black cotton soil, making this belt one of India's most important pigeon pea growing areas supplying tur dal to the rest of India. The Marathwada region's chronic drought vulnerability — receiving 700-800mm of erratic monsoon rain on the black soil that shrinks and cracks in dry years — makes it Maharashtra's most drought-prone agricultural belt with recurring crop failure and distress migration. Latur's 1993 earthquake (magnitude 6.2, killed 10,000+) led to one of India's largest post-disaster reconstruction programmes, with earthquake-resistant housing design standards developed from Latur's experience.