Farmers in Adilabad, Nirmal reel under crop loss as soybean prices fall below MSP

Farmers across Adilabad, Nirmal and Kamareddy are facing up to 40 per cent yield loss as incessant rains and pest attacks hit soybean crops. With prices below MSP and delayed procurement, growers are struggling to recover even basic investments.

Hyderabad: Farmers across many districts including Nirmal, Adilabad and Kamareddy are reeling from incessant downpours that ravaged crops during critical growth stages, and impacted yields by up to 40 percent leaving families on the brink of bankruptcy.

The State’s soybean acreage stands at a projected 3.60 lakh acres for the 2025-26 season, with an estimated output of 2.79 lakh tonnes. Though the extent of crop was moderate, it was overshadowed by national glut and global trade issues. For growers who invested over Rs 20,000 per acre in seeds, labour, and other inputs, the returns are disappointing. They are uncertain of making at least Rs.15,000 from the harvest.

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In Adilabad and Nirmal, once the farmers could manage yields up to 5 quintals per acre. But now they find it hard to get even 3 quintals, thanks to unseasonal rains and pest invasions that damaged pod. Worse part for them is the market prices hovering at Rs 4,300–4,374 perquintal, 19 percent below the government’s Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs 5,328.

Private traders are capitalizing on delayed procurement and moisture content rejections and forcing distress sales.

“We have waited months for yards to open, only to be turned away for excess moisture, a flimsy excuse when rains destroyed half our crop,” fumed Jogu Ramanna, a farmer and former Minister, who led protests in Adilabad last month. Farmers clashed with police dumping produce on roads in Bela and Sonala mandals demanding justice.

In Nirmal, a major soybean producing district with 1.19 lakh acres under the crop the farmers are in for a trying time.

“The MSP hike sounded good on paper, up 8.9% from last year, but where are the takers?” ask the farmers.

Kamareddy has 92,764 acres under the crop. Every speck of dirt spotted in the stocks is bringing down the price, the farmers complain.

They are offered 4,374 per quintal this week. “Logistics eat our minimum margins. We will switch to cotton or maize next season,” the farmers insist.

Marketing department officials assure farmers to procure the harvest, but the realities on the ground are different. The farmers have been insisting on easing the norms for procurement on the lines of Maharashtra and Karnataka.