Take more steps to prevent farmer suicides, Revanth to KCR

Hyderabad: Alleging that 7,069 farmers had committed suicide in the state since 2014, TPCC chief A. Revanth Reddy on Saturday demanded that tenant farmers be given due recognition in all government schemes as almost 80 percent of those who ended their lives were from this category. Two such deaths are being reported on an everyday basis, he said.

In an open letter addressed to Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, the Congress leader pointed out that cotton farmers were at the receiving end as middlemen ruled the roost.

“The condition of farmers has become so critical that they are forced to beg for a minimum support price. They are worried as the amount being to them is between Rs 6,000 and Rs 7,000 per quintal, whereas it should at least be around Rs 15,000 per quintal,” he said.

Lack of a workable agricultural policy, poor crop planning, absence of guidance on going about cultivation, poor implementation of credit schemes, non_availability of quality seeds and pesticides, no support post-natural calamities and crop damage caused by pests have all combined to make it torturous for farmers, he said.

“Crop yield being lower than expected and increase in input costs have driven the anguished farmers into insurmountable debts. Adding to their woes have been the non-implementation of loan waiver and crop insurance as promised by the government,” he stated.

Reddy pointed out that National Crime Bureau (NCRB) figures say that Telangana ranks fourth in farmer suicides. A study conducted by a NGO concluded that 512 farmers across the state took their lives in the last 11 months up to November this year.