Telangana crop regulation: Give us assurance on pricing, marketing, say farmer bodies

Farmers have requested the Telangana government to hold consultations on crop regulation, minimum amount support value (MSP), assured marketing and protection of dryland crops ahead of utilizing its ambitious crop regulation strategy.

The K Chandrashekar Rao government has introduced a proposal to control the cropping sample in the State. According to original plans, farmers will be requested to develop paddy on 50 lakh acres, cotton on 50 lakh acres and pink gram on 10 lakh acres. Farm lands shut to urban locations will develop vegetables and horticultural crops.

The shift has evoked fascination and stress and anxiety among farmers, as vanakalam (kharif year) is just 3 months absent.

“What we hope is clarity on pricing for many crops, including vegetables. We must know the government’s strategy for procurement. We inquire the government to arrive out with thorough information on MSP for all the crops that are developed in the State,” T Sagar, Normal Secretary of the Telangana Rythu Sangham, explained to BusinessLine.

The implementation time for this kind of an ambitious plan is as well shorter, he noticed.

Get in touch with for clarity

Welcoming the government’s shift to control the crops, Sagar admitted that stated some form of regulation is necessary. “But there is no use dashing it and forcing it on farmers at shorter see. If it is really serious about regulation, it must get all set with a appropriate strategy for the rabi year and set it out for extensive consultation,” he stated.

On Tuesday, the Main Minister stated farmers must stick to the crop strategy prompt by the government. Any violations could make them ineligible for the Rythu Bandhu plan (grant of ₹5,000 each individual in the kharif and rabi seasons for every single acre that a farmer owns).

Ravi Kanneganti of the Rythu Swarajya Vedika, an umbrella organisation of intellectuals, NGOs and farmers’ associations, stated the government must first undertake a appropriate assessment of soil health and fitness. Large reliance on h2o-guzzling crops this kind of as paddy has depleted soil health and fitness, he additional.

“According to the strategy, only 3 crops (paddy, cotton and pink gram) would go over one.one crore acres. What’s the strategy for the rest of the crops? Past year, the farmers grew about 26 unique crops,” he stated.

Dryland crops

A tiny farmer increasing millets in Sangareddy district questioned what would be the strategy for dryland crops. “You can not develop important crops listed here. We have been struggling to develop millets with meagre h2o sources. I am pondering what I will be requested to develop,” he stated.

Telangana Rythu Sangham’s Sagar stated there must be a seem strategy to go over millets as well. “You must convey to them (farmers) what is the kind of value they will get if they develop millets,” he stated.

Another important obstacle would be pinpointing ‘real’ cultivators. A quarter of the 60 lakh farmers in the State are tenant farmers. “They never get Rythu Bandhu cash. Will they be obliged to conform to the crop strategy?” Rythu Swarajya Vedika’s Kanneganti requested.