Fuming subabul farmers may write new script for Khammam

Khammam: Subabul and eucalyptus plantations have become an election issue in the Khammam Parliamentary constituency.

About 30,000 farmers who are raising subabul and eucalyptus in the seven Assembly segments of the Khammam constituency account for nearly one lakh votes in Khammam and are important to all candidates contesting from Khammam.

The delay in the purchase of wood and the reduction in wood prices seem to have infuriated the farmers, who are now expressing their displeasure with the two institutions as well as the state and Central government.

OTC-BPL and Sirpur-Kagaznagar are the primary users of the wood. These companies manufacture paper by turning the wood into pulp in the initial stage. ITC-BPL has been purchasing wood from Khammam farmers since 2016 and was paying Rs 6,400 per ton of wood. The company encouraged lakhs of farmers from 20 districts in AP and Telangana to raise subabul and eucalyptus.

At the same time, these companies prompted the Telangana Forest Development Corporation (TFDC) to raise eucalyptus on the barren lands in the reserve forests. With this, the TFDC cultivated eucalyptus across thousands of acres in TS. As the crops matured, they cut and sold the wood to BPL-ITC.

At the same time, the farmers who were encouraged by the company to cultivate eucalyptus and subabul also started bringing wood to the company. As a result, the product supply became two times the quantity that is required by the company.

To add to the farmers' agony, a paper company is now selling pulp to ITC-BPL and that is proving much cheaper for the company than manufacturing its own pulp.

Consequently, ITC has been delaying the purchase of wood from farmers and has also reduced their offered price to Rs 3,600 per ton.

This situation is not suiting the farmers as they’re waiting for orders from the company.

T. Murali, a farmer, said, “My subabul plantation is four-years-old now and its wood is ready to be cut. However, ITC does not seem to be interested in purchasing the produce”. Farmers are demanding that FDC should stop selling its produce to ITC.

Political parties are taking the opportunity to cash on in the situation by making promises to the farmers to resolve their issues.

The Congress candidate and former Union minister Renuka Chowdhury is trying to instill confidence among the subabul farmers by assuring them that she will bring the issue to the center and settle it.

Former minister Tummala Nageswara Rao also tried to convince the farmers and told them that the TRS government will resolve the issue after the polls. V. Srinivas, a subabul farmer said, “Of course we are worried about the situation and are waiting for a solution”.

This is certainly a critical issue considering that the elections are imminent. However, for us, this is a matter of life and death.” The farmers have reserved their judgement for 11th April.