Telangana gives no rabi guidelines

Hyderabad: Despite the failed kharif season and the spate of farmers’ suicides every day across Telangana State, the government has failed to take corrective measures to save farmers from indebtedness even for the ongoing rabi season. No proper guidance is being provided to farmers on what crops to opt for in rabi.

In the absence of this, the farmers are sowing groundnut, pulses, jowar among others, which require considerable investment.

Agriculture department reports suggest that farmers are spending up to Rs 50,000 per acre in rabi, which would prove futile with drought and depleting groundwater levels and push them into indebtedness, which is the prime reason for farmer suicides every day.

Experts suggest to the government to take up a massive awareness programme for farmers to encourage them to sow vegetables and horticulture crops in these conditions with lower investments which guarantee good returns, else the ill-effects of kharif would be repeated.

The state has just advised farmers not to cultivate paddy in rabi so far due to drought conditions.

The government and agriculture department machinery is busy ensuring buffer stocks with regard to seeds and fertilizers for rabi, but initiated no efforts to guide farmers on sowing suitable crops in prevailing climactic conditions.

The reports reaching the agriculture department indicate that farmers are going for higher investment crops in rabi by looking at few spells of rain now and then and anticipating good rainfall in the coming days.

It was found that farmers in Ranga Reddy, Mahbubnagar, Nalgonda and Medak are opting for groundnut, pulses, jowar among others and spending up to '50,000 per acre, while the ideal investment in the present weather conditions should not exceed Rs 20,000.