Paddy crop dries up before harvest; Gadwal farmer sets fields ablaze

A farmer in Telangana's Jogulamba Gadwal district allegedly set fire to his 20-acre paddy crop after it dried up due to inadequate irrigation despite the presence of the Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme (RDS) project nearby.

Jogulamba Gadwal: A farmer set fire to his paddy crop spread across 20 acres in Mandoddi village of Rajoli mandal on Saturday after investing heavily in cultivation. He took the step after his crop dried up due to an insufficient water supply, despite the presence of the nearby Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme (RDS) irrigation project.

Uppari Venkatesu, a farmer from Mandoddi village in the Alampur constituency, had cultivated paddy on 20 acres. His crop was nearing harvest and was expected to be ready within a few days. However, the fields dried up due to a lack of irrigation water.

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After months of hard work and substantial investment, Venkatesu decided to burn his crop. He said water was not reaching the tail-end areas of the canal system, causing the nearly ready crop to wither within days. He blamed officials for the situation.

Venkatesu set fire to the fields because he could no longer bear to watch his crop dry up, though fellow farmers tried to stop him. In a video circulating on social media, he said he had invested nearly Rs. 6 lakh in cultivation.

“Despite repeated pleas to the officials over the past 15 days, my crops did not get water. I cannot recover my investment and am left with no choice. I am setting fire to the fields,” Venkatesu said in the video.

The failure of authorities to ensure the RDS project’s rightful share of water has left crops in the region without irrigation, the report stated. Farmers are now being driven to the point of burning their own fields.