Medak Collector Pratima Singh has urged farmers to avoid water-intensive paddy cultivation during Yasangi and opt for alternative crops. Citing deficient rainfall and concerns over groundwater depletion, she directed officials to conduct village-level awareness meetings across the district.
Special Chief Secretary and nodal officer for drought management in the erstwhile Medak district, Vani Prasad, advised farmers to take water availability into account while planning cultivation during the Yasangi season.
Farmers in Pragathi Dharmaram village of Ramayampet mandal staged a rasta-roko protest against unscheduled power cuts, alleging inadequate electricity supply to the agriculture sector. They demanded 12 hours of quality power supply, citing difficulties in irrigating paddy fields and damage to borewell pumpsets due to voltage fluctuations.
Unscheduled power cuts and low voltage have left paddy farmers in parts of Medak struggling to save their crops amid inadequate rainfall and declining groundwater levels. Farmers say crops have dried up and seek 16-18 hours of power daily.
Farmers in Medak district staged rasta-roko protests at multiple locations, demanding an end to the online booking system for urea and alleging diversion of supplies by local shops. They accused the government of failing to address repeated shortages.
Heavy rains in Medak brought relief to farmers as Ghanpur anicut started overflowing and Singur project received its first inflows of the season. Officials released water from Singur to Manjeera dam to meet drinking water needs in Hyderabad and nearby districts
Despite the Telangana government's push for crop diversification amid deficient rainfall, farmers remain reluctant to abandon paddy, citing increasing damage from monkeys, wild boars, birds and peacocks. They have urged the government to address the wildlife menace before promoting alternative crops.
Several farmers, who had loans exceeding Rs.2 lakh have not found their names on the list, despite repaying the excess amount to banks following the suggestion of Agriculture Minister Thummala Nageshwar Rao.
