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Untimely rains in the last two weeks and tardy procurement process have hit the farmers in Telangana farmers very hard. As a result, all hopes of farmers to reap good returns from a bumper harvest are dashed.
Initial estimates peg the loss of about 1.50 lakh quintals of harvested paddy due to heavy rains across the State.
Reports of losses to maize, chillies and mango crops have also been coming in from different parts of the States. Harvested crops in the fields and in the market yards were inundated.
With weathermen forecasting rains in the next few days, farmers are worried that they can’t dry up the wet grain in time to reduce the losses.
The farmers have reported a record output of 1.35 crore tonnes of paddy in the rabi season as they grow the crop in 53 lakh acres. After delaying the decision for weeks, the State government had finally agreed to buy the rabi produce and said it would open about 6,500 procurement centres.
“They have promised to open 6,500 procurement centres. But opened them very late. The procurement process has been very sluggish. The untimely rains have only added to the woes of farmers,” S Malla Reddy, a leader of All India Kisan Sabha, told Business Line.
He alleged that the Government promised to buy “every single grain” in the kharif but ended up procuring only half of the 1.20 crore tonnes. “Going by the sluggish pace, it is going to be repeated in the rabi season as well,” he said.
An official of the Civil Supplies Department contended that the Government opened 6,500 procurement centres as promised earlier. “We don’t open all of them at one go. We open them according to the arrivals in a particular area,” he said.
As against the procurement target of 80 lakh tonnes of paddy in the rabi season, the Government so far procured 43 lakh tonnes worth ₹12,000 crore.
The Telangana Rythu Sangham has demanded a compensation of ₹20,000 an acre for foodgrains and ₹40,000 an acre for commercial crops to bail out the farmers from the losses caused due to rains.
“The State Government should complete enumeration of crop losses quickly and submit a report the Union Government,” Telangana Rythu Sangham Secretary T Sagar said.
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