24- hour free power supply damaging farm motors

The 24- hour free power supply to the agriculture sector was posing problems to the farmers leaving their irrigation motors damaged. 

They had to spend up to Rs 2,500 on getting each motor repaired in addition to the transportation expenses.

More than 700 motors have been damaged as a result of the heavy load. The heavy load on motors could also result in damage to transformers.

The continuous drawing of the water had also resulted in a steep fall in groundwater table in the old Adilabad district following the 24 hour power supply being given from January1, 2018.

It is found that some farmers were extracting water excessively for standing crops. This affecting the ground water table and people are feared a severe water scarcity in summer

Rythu Swarajya Vedika district president Sangepu Borranna said there was a heavy load on the motors due to fluctuations in the three-phase power supply and the continuous running was causing damage to the equipment.

Arugula Ramana, a farmer of Dilawarpur mandal headquarters, said his motor got burnt as there was no sufficient ground water and added that nearly five transfers the area were damaged owing to the heavy load caused be the continuous running of motors.

Some farmers were running motors round- the- clock for water supply to standing crops mainly paddy besides the maize, jowar, Bengal gram (Chana) and wheat under. In some cases farmers were using sprinklers and drip and left for after switching on the motor.

The incidence of motor damage more in areas like Mancherial and Nirmal districts and Boath, Bajarhathnoor, Sirikonda, Indravelli mandals in Adilabad district where paddy was cultivated under Rabi.

Dr Ramakrishna Goud of TJAC of Nirmal district said around 100 motors on an average got burnt every month in Mudhole Assembly Constituency.

He said many farmers continued to use automatic starters though agriculture officials claimed they had removed them.

'Ban' on cattle sale has farmers plough land

Vachalabai and her son Sunder ploughing their land

The proposed ban on the sale of cow and bullock by the Central government has  already begun to hit the farmers even before it has become law. 

Farmers are unable to buy cows and other cattle for agricultural operations without producing a great many documents, which many do not possess.

In Guarapur village, Indravelli mandal, Adilabad district, Ms. Vachalabai,65 and her son Sakre Sunder, 28, are ploughing their three-acre land without the help of bullocks; the son drags the plow while the mother sows the seeds.

They were unable to buy the animals they needed at the Utnoor cattle market because no one wanted to sell to them because of the heavy documentation and permissions required. 

Both the buyers and sellers of cattle in rural areas are in a panic because of the government’s diktat. Ms. Vachalabai said she was told to produce many documents related to their land and take the required permission from the village revenue officer, sarpanch, Tahsildar, and veterinarian.  

She said the restrictions on cow sales will certainly cause loss to the farmers, especially tenant farmers. Cattle owners also have to get the relevant certificates from the officials to sell their 

cattle.

FARMERS BUY CATTLE AFTER HARVEST SEASON

Most of the small and marginal farmers sell their cattle after harvesting season is over and then purchase new animals just before the next agriculture season so as to avoid having to feed the cattle during the off season.

In the tribal and rural areas of Adilabad, the tradition is for the tenant farmers to take cows and bullocks on rent for a few months for the agriculture work.

President of the Rythu Swarajya Vedika (RSV) in Adilabad district, Sangepu Borranna, says that the proposed ban on the sale of cows and bullocks has started showing its negative impact on the agriculture and is causing additional problems for the already distressed farmers. 

It was natural for poor farmers to sell their cattle in the agriculture off season and purchase them before the beginning of the next agriculture season.

“Most of the times, some small and marginal farmers clear their debts with the money they get by selling their cows and bullocks in the market. The proposed ban is likely to create a crisis in the agriculture sector”, Mr. Borranna says.

The ban will force the many farmers to take the extreme steps if they are unable to clear their debts or unable to cultivate their agriculture land due to a ban on sale of cows and bullocks’, he warns.

There are 4.25 lakh farmers in the integrated Adilabad district. Sixty – four percent them own less than two acres of land and 24 percent own less than five acres. There were 1.75 lakh tenant farmers in the old Adilabad district.

Under the Forests Rights Act, 2016, 1.37 lakh June 2 of land was distributed to the tribals and 1.32 lakh acres land is under podu cultivation in integrated Adilabad district.

Banks don’t give crop loans to the farmers cultivating lands given under ROFR (Recognition of Forest Rights) and Podu cultivation and also tenant farmers.

These farmers are also not going to be considered by the state government for Rs 4,000 assistance to be given as agriculture investment by the state government.

Between, June2, 2014 and May 25, 2017, 2,964 farmers committed suicide in the Telangana state. Seventy per cent of them were tenant farmers.

School fee adds to farmers' burden

Private English medium education has weakened the farmers financially as it has become an additional financial burden on them amid tough seasons of agriculture.

Even the poor are spending thousands of rupees as education fees. 

Farmers feel that English medium education is a must for their children to survive in this competitive world.

A large number of parents send their children to English mediums schools located in mandal headquarters. 

English medium in government schools if introduced would show a positive impact on farmers and it will reduce the financial burden on them.

It is estimated that some of the farmers are spending an average Rs 20,000 per annum on the education of their each child.

Prof M. Kodandaram, chairman of TJAC who recently visited the Adilabad, said poor farmers of each village spending nearly Rs 40 lakh per year, an average Rs 20,000 per student, on the education of 200 children studying in private English medium schools.

“Sending children to English medium private schools has become an additional financial burden on the farmers already in deep crisis due to the low yield of crops, low remunerative prices, and successive droughts”, he observed and demanded that state government should introduce English medium in government schools so that parents can save money.

According to figures, nearly 52 percent of children are studying in English medium private schools while 48 in government schools in the state.

The number of rural students studying in private English medium schools has increased in the last 10 years due transportation facility being provided by the school managements and also due to parents realizing the importance of the 

Failed borewells add to TS farmers' woes

 Deceased farmer's son Mangilal at failed borewell

Farmers digging borewells indiscriminately on their agriculture fields for water source but incurred huge loss as most of the borewells have failed to give water due to drastic fall in the ground water table due to successive drought conditions.

Story of the Rathod Yashwanthrao,50, of Kalva Thanda of Dilawarpur mandal is a classic example to how failed borewells turning into one of the reasons for farmer  suicides in Telangana.

He dug up four borewells on his agriculture fields in the last one month but did not get water. Rathod Yashwanthrao committed suicide by hanging himself to a tree close to his agriculture fields January9. 

More expenditure is being incur for digging borewells as most of the famers are going up to 400 feet deep to get water to find water due to drastic fall in the ground water table and an average farmers is spending more than Rs 25,000 each for digging borewell. This is result of lack of rain water conservation to increase ground water table.

Rathod Mangilal, son of deceased farmer Yashwanthrao who discontinued his Degree said, his father invested major share of loans he had taken from various sources invested on digging borewells with a hope that they may bring fortune but the failed borewells had ended up their family in now where.         

Telangana Vidyavanthula Vedika district president Dr U. Krishnam Raju said, ‘digging borewells was nothing but gambling and added that people investment money in both only with the hope but there was lot of uncertainty involved in it and observed that it is high time for the government to take steps for rain water conservation to improve the ground water table which will go a long way’.

Farmers are investing huge money on digging borewells on their agriculture lands and some of them become crazy of digging bore wells in the villages on seeing one another but the success rate is low when compared to Agriculture wells.

Rathod Yashwanthrao went to Dubai in search of job four years ago after he uncured huge loss in the agriculture in his four acre land and mainly he invested huge money on digging borewells. He returned one year ago just to start again agriculture.

Yashwanthrao was popular in his village as ‘crazy person of digging borewells’ with a hope that he too gets water for his fields like his neighbors but he could not succeed in his efforts.  

Villagers say Yashwanthrao dug up more than 20 borewells in his agriculture fields in the last 15 years. He had taken loan Rs 98,000 from local bank and Rs 5 lakh loan from private money lender.

Agriculture crisis affects tenant farmers in district