Severe drought has spread across 74% of Maharashtra (India's wealthiest and most populous western state, home to the financial hub of Mumbai), the state government announced after a prolonged period of below-average rainfall. Indian meteorological authorities attributed the shortfall to an unusually strong El Niño weather pattern, which typically brings drier conditions to South Asia, and warned that the country's annual monsoon season would close with a rainfall deficit. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis pledged government support for the affected farming communities, with Maharashtra's agricultural sector — a major producer of cotton, soybean, sugarcane, and pulses — serving a population of 130 million people who are highly vulnerable to crop losses.