Warangal: Farmers disgusted with drama over paddy procurement

Warangal: The politicians, especially of TRS and the BJP, in Telangana are toiling even more to hit the ball into each other's court ever since the paddy procurement issue snowballed into a major concern.

With the Centre denying procuring paddy produced in the Rabi season, the State passed a diktat - 'no more paddy cultivation until the next Kharif' - to the farmers. With a major part of land in Telangana ideal for the cultivation of paddy, farmers appeared clueless which way they go – paddy or other alternative crop.

The Hans India spoke to a few farmers to elicit their feelings about the State of affairs surrounding 'paddy politics' in which the TRS-led State government and BJP-led Union government intensely engaged to shift the onus to other.

"The onus is on both the governments – Centre and State – to protect the livelihood of the farmers. The way the two governments quarrel over paddy procurement is disgusting. This indicates that in future we don't find any saviour – neither the Centre nor the State as they both want to escape from the responsibility," Nagelly Komuraiah, a farmer of Thimmampet village under Duggondi mandal who owns two acres said.

With little, he shifted to maize cultivation from paddy in the ensuing Rabi. When asked about the prospects of maize, he said that there is no guarantee of getting a good yield. He said that it's similar even if he had gone for other crops such as pulses and millets etc.

Another farmer, Kesetty Sadanandam of Madannapet village under Narsampet

Mandal, said, "All that blame game going on between the TRS and the BJP is a drama. They are engaged in a vicious game of accusing each other to divert the people's attention from other major issues. It's ridiculous to see the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao sitting in a dharna in Hyderabad.

Instead of doing so, he should draw the attention of the country by taking the issues to the streets of Delhi. KCR government should take a cue from the recently concluded year-long protest of the farmers who successfully forced the Centre to repeal the three farm laws.

Sadanandam, who has three acres, had gone for repeating paddy cultivation despite the administration's advice. Admitting that he was risking, he said he has no other choice but to cultivate the paddy. The farmer said that he had no time to prepare his farm for other crops, and added that he was prepared to face the consequences.