Despite rich harvest, Telangana witnesses spike in farmer suicides

Despite record production of paddy and good yields from cotton crops too, the State has witnessed a tragic spike in farmer suicides. The farmer community has been left in shock and grief in many villages.

Hyderabad: Harvest time, a period of hope and culmination of months of hard work for farmers, has turned into a season of despair in Telangana. Despite record production of paddy and good yields from cotton crops too, the State has witnessed a tragic spike in farmer suicides. The farmer community has been left in shock and grief in many villages.

Farmers, who had pinned their hopes on clearing debts and starting afresh, are now facing insurmountable issues. The recent weeks have seen a number of suicides, with many farmers ending their lives due to financial distress. One of the most heart-wrenching incidents occurred in Nagasamundar in Yalal police station limits of Ranga Reddy district. Farmer M. Yadappa, 42, and his wife Jyothi, 38, died by suicide three days ago. The couple, burdened by a debt of Rs 4 lakh taken for their daughter Srilatha’s marriage, were unable to repay the private lenders. Their tragic decision left their 11-year-old son orphaned.In another incident, 26-year-old farmer Shiv Sagar from Bijigiri Sharif village in Jammikunta mandal of Karimnagar district also took his own life. His ordeal mirrored that of the couple in Nagasamundar, driven by the same financial desperation.

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Uppala Mallaiah, 45, from Ketepalli in Nalgonda district, ended his life despite a good harvest. He was struggling with a debt of Rs 9 lakh. Similarly, Chandi Shekulu from Kancanpalli village in Narsapur mandal of Medak district died by suicide due to mounting debts. Villagers report that many more farmers are in desperate situations, with no loan waivers, no Rythu Bandhu and no financial assistance as promised by the government.The lack of Rythu Bandhu assistance, which could have saved at least 60 per cent of the farmers from suicide, has added to the crisis. Every village has hundreds of farmers who have not received any waiver benefits.

In a recent incident, locals intervened to prevent a farmer couple from attempting suicide at the IKP paddy procurement centre near Annaram in Thungathurthy Mandal. The couple, Gogulothu Keema Naik and his wife Punnamma, were distressed over issues related to the sale of their paddy crop. Despite the State government procuring 22 lakh metric tonnes of paddy worth Rs.5100 crore as part of the MSP operations, only Rs 2,800 crore has been paid to the farmers so far. The procurement included 5.67 lakh metric tonnes of fine varieties, with a bonus payment of Rs 283.25 crore, of which only Rs 9 crore has been disbursed till November 23. The government has announced an incentive bonus of Rs 500 per quintal on fine varieties, but the delay in payments and procurement issues continue to plague the farmers.