Farmers face challenges with no Kisan Sarkar in Telangana

The State support that encompassed crop investment assistance, timely irrigation, uninterrupted power and assured purchase of produce till the last grain, appears to have faded

Hyderabad: The once-robust support system for farmers in Telangana, right from sowing operations to harvest and procurement, is apparently missing under the current Congress regime.

The State support that encompassed crop investment assistance, timely irrigation, uninterrupted power and assured purchase of produce till the last grain, appears to have faded. The administration has failed not just on Rythu Bandhu/Bharosa, loan waiver or incentive bonus, but even in providing farmers with the minimum support price.

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Nizamabad and Nalgonda, major paddy-producing districts, usually see farmers hitting the markets early with their Kharif produce. However, this year, they face a grim reality with not many takers for their produce.

Unseasonal rains have further dashed the hopes of Kharif farmers. Many, moving their produce to the yards from harvest points, have suffered extensive damage due to rains. Paddy stocks were exposed to rain water as farmers struggled to cover them with tarpaulins in the yards.

Despite this, officials have reiterated that they will accept only paddy with up to 17 percent moisture, whereas many farmers are arriving with stocks containing over 30 percent moisture.

The situation has been particularly dire in Siddipet and parts of erstwhile Nizamabad, which received heavy rain on Sunday and Monday. Rajanna Sircilla, Bhadradri Kothagudem, Nizamabad, Nirmal, Khammam and Mulugu experienced similar issues with moderate to heavy rains on Tuesday.

“Farmers need to wait and dry up their paddy in the yards on their own. We cannot be considerate in this aspect. Last year, the State helped by procuring rain-exposed paddy and sending it directly to parboiled mills, but such assistance seems unlikely this time.

The paddy growers are continuing to face these challenges, with the absence of farmer-friendly approaches becoming increasingly apparent,” officials said.

The paddy purchase centres, which were opened formally in some of the places in Nalgonda district were yet to operate in a full-fledged manner. Inadequacies with weighing facilities and transportation issues are yet to be addressed.

The officials tasked with the procurement operations are of the view that the paddy arrivals will pick up only in the first week of November, especially after Diwali festival.

In the meantime, private traders are cashing in on the helpless situation of farmers. They were offered Rs 1800 to Rs 1900 per ton to coarse varieties and Rs 2100 to Rs 2300 to A grade varieties.

In the absence of the aggressive minimum support price operations by the government agencies, the farmers are finding themselves at the receiving end. By disposing paddy stocks to private traders they are even losing on the incentive bonus of Rs 500 per quintal assured by the government.