Grim prices push turmeric farmers into distress

Nizamabad: Farmers who are growing turmeric crop after facing lot of difficulties are a dejected lot today as they are incurring heavy losses and not getting even minimum support price for their produce.

Although they cultivated turmeric with great expectations, ultimately, they ended up in miseries. The price of a quintal of turmeric crop which used to be Rs 10,000 is not even fetching them even Rs 5,000 now. As such the farmers are highly distressed.

Nizamabad district is famous for producing turmeric in large quantities, especially in Armoor and Balkonda mandals. Farmers who faced lot or difficulties for two years due to drought heaved a sigh of relief when they received rainfall in large quantities during last year’s monsoon. The yield per hectare of turmeric has risen.

However, farmers were in for a rude shock when the price of turmeric crop fell drastically. The climatic changes and unseasonal rains have destroyed the crop and reduced its demand and the price fell by 50 per cent to Rs 5,000 for the first time.

First, it fell to Rs 8,500, then to Rs 6,000 and now ultimately to Rs 5,000. As such, the farmers are not getting them remunerative price on their produce. Furthermore, the farmers bemoaned that the commission agents and middlemen were conniving with the officials and looting them.

Speaking to The Hans India here on Friday, one for the farmers Sampath Reddy said that he invested Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.20lakh for cultivating turmeric but now they are highly distressed as they were not getting them even Rs 4,000 or Rs 5,000 on their yield.

Last year, they earned at-least Rs 8,500 but this year, they are able to earn only Rs 5,000 per quintal and that too with great difficulty. He said that he had to pay heavily for the labour charges.

Another farmer Anjaiah said that earlier, they used to earn Rs 15,000 on each quintal of turmeric but now only Rs 5,000. He alleged that the middlemen were exploiting the farmers conniving with officials of the Agricultural Department officials.

He said that several farmers fell into a debt-trap. Sailoo, another farmer, said that the conditions have turned from bad to worse for the farmers, who are now in debts after growing turmeric as they were not getting minimum support price. Cultivating crops have become a loss making venture. He expressed the hope that the State government comes to their rescue.