Stakeholders call for need-based planning to help Telangana farmers shift away from paddy

The Telangana Government’s suggestions to farmers not to cultivate paddy in rabi has arrive as a rude shock to the farming group.

Paddy has been a dominant rabi crop in the State. Actually, the place under this staple food items crop has long gone up substantially in the previous a few a long time as the State augmented further irrigation amenities.

Soon after report output, Telangana asks farmers to shun paddy this rabi period

That about 40-45 for every cent of the State’s rabi place of one.twenty crore acres is under paddy this period demonstrates how substantial the crop is for the sixty lakh farmers in the State.

More than-dependence on paddy

A cross-portion of stakeholders that BusinessLine spoke to are pretty much unanimous in their belief — that the State should really concentrate on crops like groundnut, soya and vegetables to de-danger farmers from the over-dependence on paddy.

“Barring paddy, turmeric and chillies, the State scores badly with regard to other food items crops. It falls brief of its specifications, forcing us to rely on neighbouring States for matters like coriander leaves,” Sarampally Malla Reddy, Vice-President of All-India Kisan Sabha, instructed BusinessLine.

Alleging that the State govt was inflating production figures, he claimed that the situation was only about the further output of 30 lakh tonnes. “Can’t the State and Central governments obtain a way to purchase this? It should really not be a challenge if there is a will,” he argued.

Telangana farmers shun cotton on inadequate returns

A modern high-level conference chaired by Telangana Main Minister K Chandrashekar Rao recommended farmers not to go for paddy in the rabi as the Union govt was backing out from procurement of parboiled rice. It mentioned it would get about sixty lakh tonnes of raw rice from the existing kharif period.

Viable alternatives

Kanneganti Ravi of Rythu Swarajya Vedika, which has been battling farmers’ issues, expressed the check out that that it is excellent for farmers to shift away from paddy to other crops in the rabi period. “We have been making rice much much more than our specifications. This is ensuing in large stocks remaining unsold. They are finding MSP (least assistance price tag) only when the govt is procuring it,” he pointed out.

The paddy place in the State, which stood at 35 lakh acres in 2013, grew to over one crore acres previous calendar year.

“It is not sustainable to develop paddy in a substantial extent of land. Moreover, it is a water-guzzling crop. Extended cultivation of paddy in each the seasons will acquire a toll on the fertility of the farm lands,” he noticed.

Asked about alternatives out there to the farmers if they want to shift away from paddy in the forthcoming rabi period, Ravi mentioned vegetables could be a excellent solution. “We confront an acute lack of vegetables. We rely on the neighbouring States of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh to satisfy our need for vegetables. The Federal government should really motivate farmers to develop vegetables, pulses and oilseeds,” he recommended.

He also referred to as for in-depth district-smart mapping of the crops suited for nearby disorders and get ready a calendar appropriately.