WARANGAL: Though the rains have subsided in Telangana, the future of as many as 70,506 farmers, belonging to erstwhile Warangal district, is still hanging in the balance as they are yet to get any compensation from the State government.According to sources, more than 70,000 ryots were affected by the heavy rains that induced floods in both Warangal Urban and Rural districts this monsoon after their standing crops got damaged.
Though the Agriculture Department officials held a survey to assess crop damage, soon after the floods, and submitted a detailed report to the State government, the distressed ryots have not yet received any official communication from the authorities regarding compensation.At a time when both the district agriculture officials and farmers were optimistic after the government introduced regulated farming, the sudden floods have severely affected the sector in Warangal.
When Express interacted with a few Agriculture Department officials they also mentioned that they had expected this Vanakalam (Kharif season) to be fruitful after the farmers started cultivating crops like paddy, cotton and groundnut based on market demand.According to sources, while the district farmers utilised around 2.25 lakh acres to grow paddy this season, around 2.86 lakh acres were utilised for cotton, 7,594 acres for groundnut, and 1,461 acres for green gram.
However, scores of farmers who took loans from various banks and private financiers to take up cultivation during this Vanakalam are left with nothing but debts. When Express accessed data from agriculture officials, it was found that around 11,000 acres of paddy and 2,548 acres of cotton got damaged in the rains that battered Warangal (Urban).
Meanwhile, 23,458 acres of paddy, 31,000 acres of cotton, 6,050 acres of groundnut, 284 acres of red gram, 5,050 acres of green gram and 16 acres of black gram got drowned in floods in Warangal (Rural).
Speaking to Express, D Usha Kumari, Joint Director of Agriculture for both Warangal Urban and Rural districts, said that the officials concerned have collected required details regarding crop damage after carrying out mandal-level surveys and have submitted a detailed report to the State government. “We are waiting for the government to sanction compensation amount. But, no orders to this effect have been issued yet,” Usha Kumari added.
34,000+ acres of paddy damaged
While around 11,000 acres of paddy and 2,548 acres of cotton got damaged in the rains that battered Warangal (U), 23,458 acres of paddy and 31,000 acres of cotton got destroyed in Warangal (R)