KHAMMAM: A staggering 22 suicides by farmers, all small and marginal, in the erstwhile Khammam district in the last three months, exposes the agrarian crisis looming large in the district.
Cotton was the main crop in the erstwhile Khammam -- now bifurcated as Khammam and Bhadradri Kothagudem. However, the previous experience of crash of cotton prices made the farmers switch over to chilli, which initially fetched them good prices. This made more farmers, in fact those not into agriculture, also take leased lands and go for chilli crop.
With good yield chilli crop flooded the market yards. But due to lack of any monitoring system by marketing department and exploitation of middlemen, the farmers found themselves in a fix. The prices fell down from `14,000 or more per quintal to `4,000 or even less. Already burdened with huge debts and lack of remunerative prices forced the farmers to take the extreme step of ending their lives, an agriculture official said.
According to information available with the district administration, 12 farmers in Khammam and 10 farmers in Bhadradri Kothagudem have committed suicides in the last three months. As many as four lakhs farmers farmers are dependent on agriculture in both the districts.
A majority of farmers are poor and illiterates and possess two to five acres land. With banks refusing loans, most of small and poor farmers are approaching private money lenders who are collecting high interest of `5-10 from farmers.
As per the records cotton crop was cultivated in 1, 70,000 hectares last year and this year it was cultivated in 1, 50,000 hectares. Chilli crop was cultivated in 30,000 hectares in 2016-2017 and 50,000 hectares this year in both the districts.
There was good remunerative price for chilli last year with a quintal of chilli being sold at `10,000 to 13,000 but cotton crop fetched lesser price of `4,000 to 4,500 per quintal.
Keeping in view the high price that the chilli crop fetched last year, this year farmers have cultivated chilli crop in 50,000 hectares as compared to 30,000 hectares last year. But unfortunately chilli prices have gone down considerably shattering the dreams of the farmers. But unexpectedly cotton crop which did not command good price last year fetched good amounts this year.
B Sarala, wife of Eswar Reddy, a farmer from Venkatapuram village in Yerrupalem mandal, who committed suicide due to debts, says, “My husband was very strong mentally and physically but pressure from private money lenders and increased debts forced him to end his life. If the government had ensured MSP for chilli, my husband would have been alive,’’ she said.