Ground reality is a grim reminder of pre-2015 era; the loss of a protective cover, meticulously planned and extended by the first Chief Minister of the State, K Chandrashekhar Rao, had previously revived the dwindling fortunes of the peasant community
Hyderabad: The tragic suicides of Nannavath Harya in Nalgonda district on February 14 and Kummarri Nageswar Rao in Mulugu district on February 7 highlight the dire circumstances faced by farmers in Telangana. Both men, overwhelmed by mounting debts and the inability to sustain their farms, took their own lives. Their stories are not isolated incidents.
In 2024 alone, 376 farmers succumbed to despair, bringing the total number of farmer suicides to 447 in the 14-month Congress rule. In the wake of the economic downturn, the farming community in Telangana is facing unprecedented challenges.
The ground reality today is a grim reminder of the pre-2015 era. The loss of a protective cover, meticulously planned and extended by the first Chief Minister of the State, K Chandrashekhar Rao, had previously revived the dwindling fortunes of the peasant community.
However, the collapse of the real estate sector has led to a sharp decline in the value of farmland, further adding to the crisis. This downturn has had a cascading effect on the livelihoods of farmers, particularly small and marginal ones. The real estate crash, which has seen property values plummet by almost 25-40 per cent in rural pockets, has cast a shadow on the confidence levels of farmers. With no takers for farmland, mortgage and farm loans have become a significant burden. The loan waiver initiative has yet to cover a major segment of the farming community.
For instance, Segnama Nagabhushan of Ramavaram village in Husnabad, Siddipet, received a message about the loan waiver, but the status of his loans remained unchanged. Tragically, he passed away before the issue was addressed. His son is now moving from pillar to post to resolve the matter, but to no avail. The pressure from Telangana Grameena Bank officials in Husnabad is mounting on them. Losing faith in the assurances given by elected representatives, the family is now ready to dispose of a few ‘five guntas’ of land to make the family debt-free on their own.
This is the plight of many farmers in the State who hoped to sell a portion of their land to alleviate financial pressures, but found no takers. Lands suitable for growing cotton and chilli, valued at Rs 30 lakh to Rs 50 lakh per acre during the BRS regime, have registered a drop of 25-40 per cent. Farm lands connected well by road network, which commanded a price of Rs 1 crore to Rs 1.5 crore in the districts, are no longer sought after. This has caused a marked difference in the economic status of landed farmers.
Farmer suicides, which were as high as 1,358 in 2015 and 632 in 2016, gradually decreased in the following years. A total of 846 farmers committed suicide in the State in 2017, 900 in 2018, 491 in 2019, 466 in 2020, 352 in 2021, 178 in 2022 and 271 in 2023. The number once again shot up to 376 in 2024.
B Kondal Reddy, State secretary of Rythu Swarajya Vedika, said the condition of farmers’ finances has been significantly affected by the drop in land value. Additionally, after a long gap, borewells that sustained groundwater irrigation started failing once again, consequent to a considerable drop in the groundwater table. The increasing number of farmer suicides has failed to evoke any substantial response from the authorities of late.
Every such death was investigated by a three-member committee deputed by the administration. They interacted with the grieving families and reported their status. However, the kin of the farmers who ended their lives are left to their fate today. The payment of compensation to such families is also not prompt. The Vedika fought for these bereaved families and recently got the compensation order released in respect of over 100 farmers with the intervention of the court last month.
