A tenant farmer addresses a gathering of farmers about missing out on several benefits due to their tenuous status, at Indira Park in Hyderabad on Wednesday. Government has not taken any steps for the recognition of 22 lakh tenant farmers, they said.
| Photo Credit: NAGARA GOPAL
Scores of tenant farmers from various parts of Telangana gathered at Dharna Chowk near Indira Park on Wednesday to voice their concerns about the ‘unkept’ poll promises of the Congress government.
At a public hearing organised by the Telangana State Convenors’ Committee of Samyukta Kisan Morcha, the focus was on the problems accosting the tenant farmers related to land title, loan availability, input subsidies, and sale price.
Bingi Tirupathi, 36, got into cultivation over 15 years ago in his village Khapperla in Tamsi mandal of Adilabad district. He grows cotton. “I have been leasing eight acres of land for the last 12 years with the same owner. We need to pay the lease amount before hand, and when the produce is sold, the CCI (Cotton Corporation of India) deposits the amount in the patta holder’s account, who in turn seeks a cut of ₹100 per quintal,” Tirupathi said.
Outside, the price is at least ₹500-₹600 less than that offered by CCI, so the farmers have no go.
“That’s not all. The owner would also take a cut for the next year’s lease before returning us any sale proceeds. That way, he succeeds in binding us to his land,” he said. Almost all the tenant farmers faced the same issue. The situation of women farmers, most of whom are widowed after husbands’ suicide, is worse.
“I have one acre of my own, and leased four acres. I spent ₹4 lakh over five attempts for digging borewells, but not one succeeded. This year, all the five acres yielded mere eight quintals of cotton, which does not even cover the labour cost. The accumulated debt burden is ₹7 lakh, and it keeps increasing,” lamented Enumula Lingamma, who arrived from Devarakonda.
Loan eligibility cards
As tenant farmers, they do not have eligibility to get bank loans, input subsidies and insurance, which add to the financial burden. Telangana Land Licensed Cultivators’ Act 2011 provided the right for loan eligibility cards for tenant farmers for access to credit from public finance institutions.
“2018-19 was the last year when such cards were issued. Due to then Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s policy against the tenants, issue of the cards was stopped,” shared M. Ramakanth from Kisan Mitra Helpline.
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy had taken up cudgels for recognition of tenant farmers when he was in the Opposition. He had written an open letter to them, reassuring the party’s support, as announced in the Warangal Farmers’ Declaration made by Rahul Gandhi in 2022. Congress also included tenant farmers in its six guarantee programme, which was the party’s manifesto for Assembly elections.
The citizens’ jury, which heard the farmers, comprised academic-activist G. Haragopal, social activist V. Rukmini Rao, and media professional K. Srinivas, empathised with them and promised to prepare a report and take it to the government.
Published – December 04, 2024 07:51 pm IST
