Telangana farmer suicides surge again with 793 cases since Congress came to power

Telangana has recorded 793 farmer suicides since the Congress government took office. Rising debt, high input costs, erratic MSP, delayed Rythu Bharosa payments, and aggressive moneylenders are pushing farmers into distress, with the problem worsening in 2025, say activists and experts.

Hyderabad: Telangana has recorded 793 farmer suicides since the Congress government led by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy assumed office in December 2023. Recently, there is an upward trend in the suicides, with debt-related distress becoming the single largest cause.

A majority of the suicide cases are attributed to the inability of the farmers to repay crop loans or harassment by moneylenders. According to Rythu Swarajya Vendika activist Kondal Reddy, the farmers’ suicides based on the FIRs registered by police rose to 279 till the end of November 2025, compared to 249 in 2024.

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Many of the farmers who committed suicide were caught in the debt trap and ultimately succumbed to pressure from moneylenders. Congress came to power in 2023 on the promise of a complete Rs 2 lakh crop loan waiver within 100 days. Agriculture experts and farmer leaders point to four structural failures in the last two years, the major one being delayed and inadequate input subsidies.

The flagship Rythu Bharosa scheme, which promised Rs 15,000 per acre per year, has been reduced to Rs 12,000 in practice and is still pending for the Rabi season. In several districts, farmers complain to have received no input assistance for two to three crop seasons. Seed and fertiliser costs rose 35 to 40 per cent in the last 18 months, eating into the waiver benefit.

Collapse of crop procurement at MSP

Paddy procurement at the Minimum Support Price has been erratic. In 2025, only 38 per cent of the produced paddy was procured by government agencies till November, forcing farmers to sell to private traders at Rs 1,700 to Rs 1,900. Cotton farmers in Adilabad, Nalgonda and Warangal fared worse, with prices crashing to Rs 5,500 to Rs 6,000 per quintal against a promised Rs 7,500.

New debt trap after waiver

Banks, citing improved credit scores after the waiver, aggressively pushed fresh loans in 2024–25. Many farmers who had just been freed from old debt took loans of Rs 1 to 2 lakh again for the next season. Consecutive drought-like conditions in 2024 Kharif and unseasonal rains in 2025 Rabi destroyed crops, pushing them back into distress.

Moneylenders filling the vacuum

Farmers are still struggling to gain access to formal credit. Private moneylenders are cashing in on the situation. They are charging 36 to 60 per cent annual interest. They have made a big comeback in districts like Mahbubnagar, Nizamabad and Khammam, the same areas that reported the highest suicides this year.

• Telangana records 793 farmer suicides since Congress came to power

• Majority of suicides attributed to inability to repay crop loans, harassment by moneylenders

• Based on FIRs, suicides rose to 279 by November 2025 against 249 in 2024

• Structural failures including delayed, inadequate input subsidies major factor

• Rythu Bharosa slashed to Rs.12,000, still pending for Rabi season

• Many farmers have got no input assistance for two- three crop seasons

• Seed and fertilizer costs rose 35–40% in the last 18 months

• Paddy procurement at Minimum Support Price has been erratic

• In 2025, only 38 percent of paddy procured by Govt agencies till November

• Cotton prices crashed to Rs.5,500– Rs.6,000 per quintal against promised Rs.7,500

• Banks push for fresh loans; farmers freed from old debts took loans again

• Private moneylenders charging 36–60% annual interest are making hay