Monsoon rains don't bring joy to debt-ridden tenant farmers in Adilabad

Adilabad: The situation of tenant farmers is getting worse day by day in Adilabad district as they don't get any kind of assistance or money from the government or from any other source.

Since the government recognize on the farmers with patta passbook, the tenant farmers do not get the government crop investment scheme Rythu Bandhu.

The last Congress government had done much to help the tenant farmers, issued eligibility cards for them to get the bank loan, but the present TRS government has done nothing for them, and because of that their lives have become miserable. The banks which do not lend money to eligible farmers easily, are not providing any financial assistance to the tenant farmers, as the government has not issued any lease cards to them, with this tenant farmers are forced to barrow money from financiers and getting into the debts.

In the district, farmers are happy as the Met department has predicted normal monsoon and State will get copious rainfall.

On other hand, the land owners are demanding the tenant farmers to pay the lease in advance and cultivate the crops according to their orders. According to the rules, lease cards should be given without taking the permission of the land owners, but the land owners are not showing any interest to benefit the tenant farmers.

In the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, the government had issued lease cards to the tenant farmers directly after field level verification of revenue department. After formation of Telangana, the government did not issue any lease cards to the tenant farmers in crisis and getting into the debts.

This year, about 5,71,416 acres area will be sown in the rainy season and 50 percent tenant farmers are cultivating in the district. More than 20,000 tenant farmers are cultivating in the district.

CPI Rythu Sangam leader Bandi Dattari speaking to The Hans India said that above 50% per cent land is being cultivated by the tenant farmers in the district.

The land owner make an oral agreement with the tenant famers about the cultivation of crops and they do not have any written agreement with the tenant farmers. If they have any written agreement with the tenant farmers they will lose Rythu Bandhu and Rythu Bheema and other benefits, said Badi Dattari. He also said if the government increase Minimum Support Price MPS to the cotton other produces farmers will cultivate on their own.

M Sai Baba, a tenant farmer said that in the joint Andhra Pradesh the Congress government had given priority to the tenant farmers and issued identify cards to them. But after formation of separate Telangana State the government did not issuing any cards for them. He demanded the government to help the tenant farmers.