HYDERABAD : After the formation of Telangana, the paddy production has shot up by a whopping 342% (from 45.71 lakh MTs to 202 lakh MTs) between 2015–16 and 2021–2022 alone, and so did the quantities of fertilisers and pesticides.
The usage of fertiliser and pesticide is at alarming levels as per the findings of the latest study titled ‘State of Indian Agriculture’ conducted by the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, New Delhi, which ranked Telangana the third-highest consumer of pesticide after Haryana and Punjab.
According to the study, Telangana uses approximately 900 kilos of pesticide per hectare, ranking behind Haryana (1,100 kilos per hectare) and Punjab (1,250 kilos per hectare).
The environmental activists are alerting the state government to adopt sustainable agricultural models such as natural farming to prevent the potential grave threats induced by climate change. The activists are arguing that the current model of conventional agriculture is leading to soil erosion and reduction of organic carbon matter resulting in depletion of immunity against pests.
Natural farming can be used to not just avoid the potential risk of exposure to carcinogenic pesticides, which shows its toxicity to all the living systems including human beings, but also enables the farmers to become debt free, said Kande Narender, a natural farming activist with Rythu Sadhikara Samstha (RySS).
The RySS programme of Andhra Pradesh Community Managed Natural Farming (APCNF) was recently awarded the prestigious Gulbenkian Price for Humanity 2024 award.
Citing various study reports, Narender also highlighted the lurking dangers behind the excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers stating that these synthesised chemical compounds lead to depletion of soil fertility, making it less effective after every crop.
The RySS, which is closely working with the Andhra Pradesh government, is currently studying the potential of natural farming in Telangana. The RySS identified that monocropping patterns in the state such as farmers choosing to cultivate either paddy, chilli, and cotton are leading to a requirement for increasing quantities of fertilizers and pesticides after every year.
“When there is no fertility in the soil, the farmers were forced to use extra doses of fertilizers,” he said. He says that Telangana has a lot of potential for natural farming.
Expressing concerns over climate change, Narender said, “Telangana recorded highest temperatures in almost all districts, whereas earlier it used to be only in the areas of thermal power stations. Likewise, although Telangana receives relatively modest rainfall annually, the fact is that the whole rainfall results in just four to five days and is not useful for agriculture. This means there is a climate change. We need to study as to why the climate is changing.”