Total system failure pushes Telangana farmers into despair

Untimely rains, inordinate delay in Rythu Bharosa input assistance, lack of smooth procurement system add to their challenges

Hyderabad: Season after season, misery after misery is plaguing the farmers of Telangana.

From inordinate delays in the Rythu Bandhu/Rythu Bharosa input assistance from the State government, to shortage of seed and fertilizer, and then shortage of water for irrigation, paddy farmers in the Rabi (Yasangi) season had to go through tough times, which they, however, managed to tackle. But the suffering is just not ending.

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Withstanding all pressures, they sowed and took care of the paddy crop, digging open wells and sinking borewells to find water even as the State government just stood mute. Now, just when it was time for harvest, unseasonal rains came as the next challenge.

While several farmers were hit by the damage wreaked by the rains and hailstorms on standing crop, even those who harvested the crop are now in dire straits, courtesy a total failure of the system to help them. And this has been quite a recurring cycle of misery for farmers ever since the Congress government took over.

Inexplicable delays in procurement and arrangement of a smooth procurement system is now threatening to push them into deep crisis. Battered by heavy downpour for the last one week, farmers were forced to look for immediate options to dispose of their stocks so as to avoid further losses. Finding no takers for their paddy in the open market, they are increasingly moving into paddy procurement centres with their stocks.

The State government had promised over 8,000 procurement centres, of which a majority are yet to become operational despite the situation demanding urgent action from the official machinery.

The State government had planned to procure 70 lakh tonnes of paddy during the Rabi season. With millers distancing themselves from purchasing paddy, the onus is more on the government to reach out to the farmers with a proactive approach. Farmers are left with no option but to depend on government procurement centres. They have pinned their hopes on the Minimum Support Price (MSP) assured at the centres and on the promise of a Rs 500 bonus per quintal for A-grade varieties.

However, what has been happening over the last few days are dashing any hope they have, despite harvesting the paddy and ensuring that it reached the procurement centre before the rains. In areas like Devarakadra, around 600 bags of paddy were exposed to rain following an unexpected downpour. So is the case with the farmers in neighbouring pockets of Mahbubnagar, where heavy rains accompanied by thunder wreaked havoc. The paddy, painstakingly cultivated and protected from pests throughout the season, is getting soaked even after reaching the purchase centres, exposing the government’s failure in standing up in time to help the farmer.

Hundreds of farmers had similar experiences in Mahabubnagar Rural, Kalwakurthy, Midjil, Veldanda and nearby areas for the last two days. At the procurement centre in Manyamkonda Crossroads, heaps of paddy were drenched in the rain. Villages like Appayipalli, Machanpally, Oblaipalli, Tanda, Ramachandrapur, Kodur, and Telugu Gudem witness similar situation.

Civil Supplies officials have authorised district officials to open additional procurement centres based on paddy arrivals. However, the pace of procurement remains slow, adding to the farmers’ challenges. The procurement centres in almost all the paddy-growing districts are yet to become fully operational. The farmers are moving to the centres with a sense of urgency but the same is missing with the official machinery. The wait for the opening of the centres has become arduous for the farmers.

In Paloncha, Aswapuram, Gundala, Chandrugonda, and Dummugudem mandals, heavy rains wreaked havoc. Farmers tried to cover their paddy with tarpaulin sheets, but the rains were relentless. Paddy was exposed to rain in a big way. Rains adding to the moisture content in paddy stocks also affected procurement at several centres. The farmers are now being forced to sell their produce at a lower price to millers and traders.

In Warangal, it was planned to set up 182 procurement centres across the district, estimating a yield of 2.57 lakh metric tons of paddy this season. Farmers are hopeful for timely support to mitigate their losses. The paddy arrivals started picking up, but not procurement operations.

In Nalgonda district, 361 procurement centres were proposed for coarse paddy and 23 for the superfine variety. But the procurement has begun only in a few centres so far. Rabi paddy output in the district is projected to be over six lakh tonnes. Over 700 paddy purchasing centres have been proposed in Nizamabad district to procure Rabi paddy from farmers. Again, a majority of these are yet to become operational.