Telangana’s cotton farmers stare at crisis

FARMERS SAY SPURIOUS SEEDS, POOR YIELD, DAMAGE CAUSED BY UNSEASONAL RAIN AND LACK OF REMUNERATIVE PRICES ARE REASONS FOR THE SUICIDES

HYDERABAD: Kale Jaipal of Turpuguduem village in Yadadri Bhongir district of Telangana sowed cotton seeds in nine acres of land in July this year, hoping to raise a bumper crop and clear all his debts from previous years.

But the dream was short-lived as the crop failed despite repeated sowing and huge investments. Dejected, the 36-year-old killed himself last week.

“For the second successive year, he suffered huge losses. The cotton crop failed him again and he feared he might not be able to pay even the labourers, let alone friends and relatives from whom he had taken seven acres of land on lease,” Jaipal’s brother Kale Balraj told HT.

In the last 10 days, at least a dozen farmers in cotton-growing regions of Telangana have committed suicide, setting off protests against the government’s failure to procure the raw cotton that is not fetching a good price in the open market.

The cotton season starts in June-july and ends in September-october, which coincides with the period in which farmer suicides are reported from the state. In 1998 — the first Bt cotton season — over 100 farmer suicides were reported from the region, which was then a part of Andhra Pradesh.

In the present scenario, the victims’ families say failure of crops is the reason their close ones took the extreme step. Crops fail, they say, because of spurious Bt cotton seeds, poor yield, damage to crops due to unseasonal rains in October and lack of remunerative price for whatever little quantity they manage to produce.

“We had to sow cotton seed three times but twice, there was only vegetative growth and no flowering. It was only the third time we could get some yield. For nine acres of land, we got a yield of 20 quintals as against the usual 60-70 quintals. To make matters worse, the humidity caused by heavy rains in October damaged even this little harvest,” said Jaipal’s mother Teresamma.

Seed dealers, however, deny indulging in any malpractice.

“We sell only certified and branded Bt cotton seeds approved by authorities,” said S Pentaiah, proprietor of Chaitanya Seeds and Fertilisers in Choutuppal. “There is a possibility that some batches may turn out to be of poor quality. Farmers also buy seeds from unregistered dealers and suffer losses.”

Agriculture department estimates that farmers raised cotton in over 49 lakh acres this year, compared to around 30 lakh acres last year, since they were attracted by the price the crop fetched for each quintal — ₹5,500.

Under normal conditions, one acre of crop yields around seven to nine quintals of cotton. But this year, the production has been one-fourth. The overall expenditure incurred by farmers, including wages of labourers and cost of transporting produce to the market, is around ₹12,000 per acre. “On an average, there should be a profit of at least ₹25,000 per acre for the farmer in ideal conditions,” said Bandi Krishnamurthy, another cotton farmer, whose brother B Chandramouli committed suicide five years ago following crop failure.

“This year, it was not even one to two quintals per acre and that too, was poor quality cotton.”

Such was the state that in several villages, farmers were forced to destroy and set fire to their crops as there was no yield even after two or three sowings. “What is the point in keeping the crop when there is no yield even after spending ₹2 lakh?” asked Kandala Mahender Reddy of Valigonda in Yadadri Bhongir , who cut down his four-acre crop.

Angry farmers also accuse the government of not preventing the sale of spurious seeds. “We bought Bt cotton seeds from Gajwel in Siddipet district, besides Jangaon and Alair markets. The seeds were sold in attractive packets and we were told the yield will be higher. It was only at the vegetative growth stage did we realise that we had been cheated,” Krishnamurthy said.

According to Telangana Rythu Sangham state vice-president Nunna Nageswara Rao, the Centre has fixed minimum support price of ₹4,320 and the state should give an additional bonus of at least ₹1,000 to help farmers. “However, traders in the market are offering just ₹2,300-₹3,500 depending on the quality of cotton and moisture content which should not exceed 12%,” he said.

Agriculture minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy said the government had taken steps to buy cotton at a higher rate. “We have requested the Cotton Corporation of India to procure cotton even with 15% humidity. We have also written to the Centre to make insurance firms implement weather-based crop insurance schemes for cotton.”