Telangana: Ban' on cattle sale has farmers plough land

INDRAVELLI (ADILABAD): The proposed ban on the sale of cows and bullocks by the Central government has already begun to hit farmers even before it has become law.

Farmers are unable to buy cows and other cattle for agricultural operations without producing a great many documents, which many don’t possess.

In Gaurapur village, Indravelli mandal, Adilabad district, Ms Vachalabai, 65, and her son Sakre Sunder, 28, are ploughing their three-acre land without the help of bullocks; the son drags the plough while the mother sows the seeds.

They were unable to buy the animals they needed at the Utnoor cattle market because no one wanted to sell to them because of the heavy documentation and permissions required.

Both buyers and sellers of cattle in rural areas are in a panic because of the government’s diktat. Ms Vachalabai said she was told to produce many documents related to her land and take the required permission from the village revenue officer, sarpanch, tahsildar and veterinarian.

She said the restrictions on cow sales will certainly cause loss to farmers, especially tenant farmers. Cattle owners also have to get the relevant certificates from officials to sell their cattle.

Farmers buy cattle after harvest season
Most small and marginal farmers sell their cattle after the harvesting season is over and then purchase new animals just before the next agriculture season so as to avoid having to feed the cattle during the off season.

In tribal and rural areas of Adilabad, the tradition is for tenant farmers to take cows and bullocks on rent for a few months for the agriculture work.

President of the Rythu Swarajya Vedika (RSV) in Adilabad district, Sangepu Borranna, says that the proposed ban on sale of cows and bullocks has started having a negative impact on agriculture and is causing additional problems for already distressed farmers. It was natural for poor farmers to sell their cattle in the agriculture off season and purchase them before the beginning of the next agriculture season.

“Most of the time, small and marginal farmers clear their debts with the money they get by selling their cows and bullocks in the market. The proposed ban is likely to create a crisis in the agriculture sector,” Mr Borranna says.

The ban will force many farmers to take the extreme step if they are unable to clear their debts or unable to cultivate their land due to the ban on sale of cows and bullocks, he warns.

There are 4.25 lakh farmers in the integrated Adilabad district. Sixty-four per cent of them own less than two acres of land and 24 per cent own less than five acres. There were 1.75 lakh tenant farmers in the old Adilabad district.

Under the Forest Rights Act, 2016, 1.37 lakh acres of land was distributed to tribals and 1.32 lakh acres is under podu cultivation in integrated Adilabad district. Banks don’t give crop loans to farmers cultivating lands given under ROFR (Recognition of Forest Rights) and Podu cultivation. These farmers are also not going to be considered for the Rs 4,000 assistance given for agriculture investment by the state government.

Between June 2, 2014 and May 25, 2017, 2,964 farmers committed suicide in Telangana state. Seventy per cent of them were tenant farmers.