The farming society in Telangana is an apprehensive lot. With monsoon playing truant and costs shooting up oddly, many farmers are leaving their old profession and seeking substitute means of livelihood.
Added to the severe drought condition, shortage of fertilizers and seeds, has made agriculture a non- profitable occupation in many villages across Telangana state, particularly Mahbubnagar, Medak, Nalgonda and Khammam districts.
Lack of proper marketing facilities and frequent power cuts have further pushed them into financial quagmire.
Telangana mostly depends on monsoon and bore wells (ground water) for cultivation. Expecting an early and good monsoon, farmers began agricultural activity almost 15 days ago by investing a lot of money.However the delay in monsoon rains has upset their Khariff plans.
Usually, agricultural activity is taken up in about two lakh acres in June in Mahbubnagar district alone. But this June crop has been sown in only 74,000 acres. If the situation persists, there will be heavy shortfall of agricultural produce in Telangana this season.
S Venkataiah of Midjil village said that because of power cuts and delayed monsoon, farmers are even migrating to other states. “I own about 10 acres. But as there are no rains, my family has migrated to Mumbai to take up labour work,” he said.
He said farmers hoped that the new state of Telangana would put an end to immigration of labour force mainly from Mahbubnagar district. But things have changed a little.
One more farmer Anantham of Gattu mandal said his fam ily too had migrated in search of greener pastures as his farm had dried up.
Farmers, who have stayed back, are looking for heavenly help in tiding over the catastrophe as all reservoirs in Telangana as well in the upper reaches of the river in Maharashtra and Karnataka are fast drying up.
Water level has drastically come down causing concern to farmers and officials alike. Many reservoirs have water at “dead storage” level.
Many farmers are also offering special prayers for rains at Kalwakurthy, Narayanpet and Amangal in Mahbubnagar.
Last June, the district received 72 mm of rainfall, although this year, the district received only 48 mm, a shortfall of 40 per cent.