More rain forecast has farmers in Telangana worried

Hyderabad : In the span of just a few weeks, farmers across several parts of the State were faced with the repercussions of unseasonal rains for the second time in a row. Complaints have been pouring in from farmers in Warangal, Nizamabad, Kamareddy, and other areas, stating that the delayed procurement process caused their harvests to become waterlogged during the rains. These farmers have been pointing out that the issue has persisted for a long time now, with agricultural produce being frequently exposed to unseasonal rains when brought to market yards and procurement centres. As a result, millers are able to bargain and procure paddy and other agricultural produce at rates lower than the minimum support price (MSP), which has further aggravated the plight of the farmers.

Venkata Reddy, who accompanied his father to the procurement centre at Choppadandi, noted that initially, the standing crop faced the brunt of the unseasonal rains, but now, whatever is brought to the procurement centre is getting drenched. The procurement centres lack the necessary facilities to cover and protect the stocks from the rains, he added.

In less than 24 hours after the State Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari issued directions to district collectors to ensure paddy stocks piled up at the procurement centres are not exposed to unseasonal rains, in a video conference held with them on Monday. During the conference, she directed the district collectors to take steps to protect paddy from the unseasonal rains as the weather forecast predicted continued rains coupled with hailstorms for the next few days. She also asked them to submit reports of crop damage in the unseasonal rains before May 1, and to appoint special officers to every mandal to collect crop damage data. Additionally, she announced that compensation for crop damage, which had been promised by Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, would be disbursed.