Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s latest statement that farmers of the state should raise only those crops as suggested by the state government and only those farmers would be eligible for Rythu Bandhu and Rythu Bima schemes, has kicked up a row.
In a way, the KCR government is trying to regulate the agriculture sector from the coming Kharif season. He directed that the farmers should raise crops only as per the market demands, so that they would get profits.
As a first step towards the regulated farming, the Chief Minister said the government decided to take up paddy cultivation in about 50 lakh acres in the State commencing from this Kharif (Vaanakalam) season.
He suggested that Telangana Sona variety alone be cultivated in about 10 lakh acres, cotton in 50 lakh acres and red gram in 10 lakh acres.
The government would guide farmers on what crops should be cultivated in which area and to what extent.
The State government would extend Rythu Bandhu benefits and ensure MSP only to farmers who follow the directions of the State government, KCR said.
The State government also decided to promote the cultivation of vegetables in farmlands near urban areas. Farmers would be guided on varieties of vegetables to be cultivated based on location and extent of area.
“Farmers must cultivate crops to meet market demand. They cannot cultivate the same crop en masse and dump it in the market seeking a remunerative price. The State government will guide farmers in choosing the crop to meet the market demand and accordingly, they should cultivate only these crops. Farmers must change their mindset and be prepared for constructive reforms in agriculture,” the chief minister added.
Experts say this is nothing but an indirect way of enforcing contract farming wherein the contractors would decide which crop the farmers would grow, since the farmers have a buy back agreement.
“How can KCR decide which crops a farmer should grow? And by saying that he will not pay Rythu Bandhu to those who don’t follow the rules, he is virtually blackmailing them,” an expert observed.