500 farmers to file nominations for Nizamabad LS seat

With the government turning a deaf ear to their demands, farmers in Telangana have come out with a novel idea to attract attention.

About 500 turmeric and red sorghum farmers in the Armoor Revenue Division have decided to file nominations for the Nizamabad Lok Sabha Constituency. Some seed growers too are among the protestors.

For them, no other constituency would give the eyeballs that Nizamabad would offer. K Kavitha, daughter of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) President and Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, is seeking to retain the seat.

“We know that we are going to lose. But we are sure we will make a point,” one of the farmers who is going to file his nomination papers in a day or two, told BusinessLine .

With turmeric prices falling below ₹5,000 a quintal, half of what they fetched last year, the farmers have been protesting for the last few weeks, demanding remunerative prices.

They have a reason. The cost of production has gone up and the returns are not even half of what they spent. “It (cost of production) is in the range of ₹1.20-1.50 lakh. But what we are getting is only ₹4,000,” Praveen, a turmeric farmer from Kammarapalli, said.

Lakshman, another farmer from Jakranpalli, said the farmers here had participated in the Telangana movement with much vigour. “With equal vigour, we are now fighting for remunerative prices. We have asked for a dedicated Turmeric Board but the government has not acted on it,” he said.

Prabhakar of Telangana Rythu Sangham, said the red sorghum seed producers are facing a tough time as the purchase price dropped significantly, making it tough for farmers. The purchase rate fell to ₹1,000-Rs1,600 a quintal as against the procurement price of ₹2,300 last year.

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