3 more deaths take farmer suicide toll to 360 in Telangana

KCR govt in dock as agrarian crisis deepens

In a sign that the agrarian crisis in Telangana is deepening, the state witnessed three more farmer suicides in the last 24 hours, as agriculturalists in the state struggle to irrigate their semi-arid land due to lack of electricity.

Unofficial estimates put the number of farmer suicides to 360 ever since the state’s formation on June 2.

Domala Durgaiah, a 52-year-old cotton farmer belonging to Samudrala village in Koheda mandal of Kareemnagar district, hung himself at his residence, unable to repay the loan he took from a money lender.

Nune Odelu, a 51-year-old tenant farmer in Aagapet village in Warangal district consumed pesticide and died on his way to the hospital, while Mandati Kishtamma, a woman farmer, ended her life unable to repay the Rs 2 lakh she had borrowed to cultivate the land she leased.

The ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) disputes the suicide statistics presented by the opposition and blames the previous Congress and TDP governments for the crises.

In its election manifesto, the TRS promised seven hours of uninterrupted power supply to farmers, despite knowing well that the state faced severe power deficiency.

As part of its effort to tackle the crisis, the KCR government implemented the loan waiver scheme, writing off crop loans up to Rs 1 lakh. The government set aside Rs 4,500 crore for the scheme, to clear off a quarter of the loans.

But the relief was too little and too late for the farmers, who were pushed to the brink by the problem of inputs for the Kharif, delayed and scanty rains, erratic power supply and lack of fresh bank loans.

“It should be considered as a national crisis. The Telangana government should declare an agricultural emergency in the state,” said social activist P Srihari Rao, who filed a PIL in Hyderabad’s High Court of Judicature demanding assistance for the kin of the deceased farmers.

Rao asked private loans obtained by the farmers to be waived, which he said constituted the larger chunk of the burden. S Malla Reddy, national vice president of Kisan Sabha, a farmers’ organisation affiliated to the CPM, told a press conference that half of the 80 lakh acres of cropped area in kharif was irretrievably damaged.

He said farmers need Rs 18,000 crore to Rs 20,000 crore to save the remaining kharif crop. Since there was no word from the government about loan waiver till October end, banks refused further lending. “Farmers took private loans at 40-50 per cent interest. Cotton farmers are the worst hit,” Malla Reddy said.

Northern Telangana farmers were particularly hit since most of them cultivate cotton and depend on borewells for irrigation. Paddy farmers in upland Telangana had to bear the brunt of erratic power supply, as the new state faced an average power shortfall of 20-30 million units per day in September and October.

“The situation is very serious. We have seen 300 deaths even though Rabi season is just knocking on our doors,” said G V Ramanjaneyulu from the NGO Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (CSA). The CSA said though suicides during the end of kharif season around October were common, the trend has worsened for the first time in a decade.