Restlessness grips farming community in Telangana as crop prices plummet

Despite a good harvest, the farmers are struggling to cover production costs

Hyderabad: A wave of restlessness has taken hold of the farming community in the State. On one hand, support from State-sponsored initiatives is on the wane, while crop prices are plummeting on the other. Those who once celebrated bountiful harvests and premium prices, now find themselves grappling with serious challenges.

Cotton farmers are particularly agitated as they face a drop in market prices. Despite a good harvest, prices have fallen below the minimum support price (MSP), leaving them struggling to cover production costs.

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Prices have dropped from around Rs 7,000 per quintal to Rs 5,000 per quintal. The once-thriving cotton fields and markets now bear witness to growing discontent among the farmers.

Situation at market yards

Cotton growers bringing their produce to the yards are made to wait for days. Trading was stalled in different yards from January 31 to February 5 on the pretext that the ginning mills were packed with stocks. Purchases have been stalled again due to server-related issues. Farmers presenting their Aadhaar cards and passbooks fail to get their stocks purchased. They are increasingly turning to private traders to dispose of their produce. As of Wednesday, the cotton prices in Warangal were Rs.6,529 per quintal (average), Rs 6,791 (highest) and Rs 6267 (Lowest) per quintal.

In markets like Peddapalli, farmers staged protests many times during the season and accused market committee members and traders of conspiring to manipulate prices and taking advantage of the increased cotton arrivals this season. They claim that their cotton was being purchased at lower prices and then sold to the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) at higher rates. This sparked widespread anger among the farming community, who are calling for fair trading practices and immediate intervention to address their concerns.

Plight of chilli farmers

Similarly, chilli farmers are experiencing a season of discontent. A good harvest has resulted in oversupply in the market, leading to a drop in prices. The cost of inputs, such as seeds and fertilizers, has risen sharply. Farmers are finding it difficult to make ends meet, and the absence of effective price support mechanisms has only added to their grievances. The increased arrivals have benefited private traders.

The Khammam market has seen a sudden rise in arrivals with over one lakh bags hitting the market yard in a single day recently. The situation in Warangal and Nalgonda districts is equally worrisome for the farmers. With the arrival of huge quantities of chilli to the markets, farmers are being exploited by traders. The traders’ syndicates are playing havoc. Chilli, which fetched a rate of Rs.21,000 per quintal last year, is now being offered a maximum price of Rs.14,000 per quintal.

Red gram

In the midst of this turmoil, red gram farmers are also feeling the pinch. Price fluctuations and market instability are causing unrest among farmers. Red gram farmers in Narayanpet, Mahbubnagar, and Suryapet are particularly affected. The average market prices for red gram in Telangana is approximately Rs 6486 per quintal, while the highest and lowest were Rs 7389 and 5579 respectively. However, prevailing prices varied in different markets .

Red gram farmers are calling for intervention to stabilize prices and protect them from sudden drops in all the red gram-growing districts in Telangana, including Vikarabad, Sangareddy, Narayanpet, Adilabad, Asifabad, Mahabubnagar and Rangareddy.