Adilabad farmer organisations seek crop insurance, cotton bonus and relief for tenant farmers

Farmer organisations in Adilabad have sought crop insurance, a cotton bonus, input support for tenant farmers and monthly assistance for agricultural labourers amid drought-related losses. They have also urged the State government to release Rythu Bharosa aid and address reported farmer suicides.

Adilabad: Farmer organizations seek various forms of support and relief measures to agrarian sector reeling under crisis triggered by El Nino weather pattern.

Borranna, district convener of Raithu Swarajya Vedika, wanted the union government to extend insurance coverage and the State government to offer bonus for cotton crop on the lines of paddy. He sought input support of Rs 6,000 per acre to tenant farmers. He argued that the farmers were facing severe financial losses caused by crop failure triggered by El Nino.

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“The union government has not given Prime Minister Fasal Bima or crop insurance since 2020 owing to unknown reasons. The cotton and soy farmers are seeing significant losses due to crop failure. They raised the crop by investing around Rs 40,000 per acre. They deserve the insurance coverage for the commercial cotton crop,” Borranna opined.

Similarly, the cotton farmers should be offered a bonus just like how paddy farmers get. The State government is extending the bonus Rs 500 to the farmers who cultivate fine rice varieties. It must come forward to provide the incentive to cotton farmers for cultivating the crop by sowing selected seeds. The incentive would reduce financial burden, he reasoned.

The representatives of the farmer organizations observed that the State government should strive hard to support the farmers hit by drought.

They said that the Raithu Bharosa aid must be immediately released to the farmers considering the bleak scenario. They wanted the government to provide input support to the tenant farmers as promised at the time of polls.

The organizations regretted that Telangana continued to witness forced deaths of distressed farmer suicides over the last three years. They cited that Adilabad district saw suicides of nine farmers as they were depressed over decline in yield caused by crop failure from October 1 to October 20 alone, underlining deepening agrarian crisis.

Meanwhile, the organizations requested the government to provide monthly monetary aid of Rs 2,500 to farm laborers as assured by the Congress in the Warangal Declaration in 2022. “The agriculture laborers have been hit by the drought. They are unable to find livelihood with the farming sector reeling under crisis,” a member of another organisation pointed out.