Telangana Cotton farmers losing heavily as threat of tiger attack looms

KOMARAM BHEEM ASIFABAD: Farmers are losing out heavily as they are not picking cotton produce for fear of tiger attacks in some places while in other places forest officials are not allowing them into their lands.

One can see cotton bolls still on plants in hundreds of acres in the interiors of Bejjur and Penchikalpet mandals in Komaram Bheem Asifabad district, areas where the tiger, suspected to be a big cat named A2, is moving about.

Agriculture labourers are not coming to pick cotton even on those fields close to the road.

Forest officials say that they are not allowing farmers into fields that are located deep in the forests where tiger movement is found.

In some places, farmers completed first cotton picking but are not being allowed for second cotton-picking. As a result, the produce is gradually falling on the ground.

However, farmers are picking cotton in the roadside fields in both mandals. Made Madhukar of Papannapet village in Bejjur mandal said many local farmers whose lands are located in the forests and on the fringes of forests gave up on picking cotton since forest officials are denying entry.

“Farmers have lost hope of getting compensation for their crop that was not picked,” he said. He wondered how such farmers can expect compensation of at least Rs 4,000 per acre for the cotton produce that has gone waste.

“They are not even allowing us to collect firewood claiming that the forest belonged to them,” he said.

Meanwhile, the tiger A2 was sighted near Kammargoan in Penchikalpet. It had attacked three cattle a few days ago after entering from Maharashtra.