Cotton farmers face heavy losses in Khammam due to rains

Cotton farmers in Khammam face poor yield due to heavy rains and urea shortage. While officials predict minor losses, farmers fear up to 60 per cent drop. Support price concerns and harvesting costs are adding to their financial stress

Khammam: Cotton farmers across the erstwhile Khammam district are facing the prospect of poor crop yield this season due to heavy rains and a shortage of urea supply.

Continuous and heavy rainfall has led to severe waterlogging in cotton fields for prolonged periods, damaging large tracts of the crop. Rains during the flowering stage have also affected the quality of cotton.

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In Kothagudem, agriculture officials said cotton was cultivated in 1.72 lakh acres with an expected yield of 26.56 lakh quintals. In Khammam, the crop was raised in 2.25 lakh acres with an estimated yield of about 27.07 lakh quintals.

Though agriculture officials maintain there would be no major drop in yield, farmers’ associations disagree. Khammam district agriculture officer D. Pullaiah told Telangana Today that the variation in yield could be around one or two quintals per acre compared to normal levels, adding that the drop would be confined to low-lying areas.

However, CPI (M)-affiliated Telangana Rythu Sangham district secretary Bonthu Rambabu claimed that the yield could fall by 50 to 60 per cent per acre. According to him, the normal yield is eight to twelve quintals per acre, but farmers might now get only two to four quintals.

In many areas, the crop was washed away just as farmers were about to harvest. With rainfall remaining unpredictable and the district still witnessing showers, the situation could worsen for cotton growers, he warned.

The support price for quality cotton with eight per cent moisture is Rs. 8,110 per quintal. If the moisture content decreases, the price drops. Farmers have to pay Rs. 15 to Rs. 17 per kg to workers for harvesting cotton.

Thus, a farmer spends Rs. 5,000 to harvest three quintals of cotton, which reduces to two quintals after drying. The effective earning for three quintals would be Rs. 3,000, Rambabu explained.

He demanded that the Cotton Corporation of India raise the minimum moisture content limit from eight per cent to between 20 and 25 per cent so that farmers can secure a fair price.