Cotton farmers in Khammam stare at poor yields
Double whammy of heavy rains and urea shortage
Khammam: Many cotton farmers in the erstwhile Khammam district are facing the grim prospect of drastically reduced crop yields this season, owing to continual heavy rains and an inadequate supply of urea.
Prolonged waterlogging in fields due to multiple spells of incessant rainfall have damaged cotton crops across vast areas. Compounding their distress, unseasonal rains during the flowering period have severely affected the quality of their crops.
According to Agriculture Department data, cotton is now being cultivated in 1.72 lakh acres in the Bhadradri-Kothagudem district, with an expected yield of 26.56 lakh quintals. In Khammam district, cotton is grown in 2.25 lakh acres, with officials estimating a yield of 27.07 lakh quintals.
However, widely contrasting views of the emerging situation surfaced when ‘The Hans India’ contacted officials and farmers’ bodies. While Khammam District Agriculture Officer D. Pullaiah maintained that the drop in yield would be marginal—only one to two quintals per acre in low-lying areas—farmer associations dispute this claim.
Telangana Rythu Sangham (CPI-M) district secretary Bonthu Rambabu asserted that the yield loss could be as high as 50 to 60 per cent per acre. “Against the normal yield of 8 to 12 quintals per acre, farmers may now get only 2 to 4 quintals,” he said. He pointed out that in many regions, cotton was washed away just as harvest was about to begin.
With the district continuing to receive erratic rains, the situation would only deteriorate. The Minimum Support Price (MSP) for quality cotton with 8% moisture content is ₹8,110 per quintal. But moisture content over that threshold results in prices being significantly lowered. The high cost of harvesting—₹15 to ₹17 per kg—adds to the financial burden of farmers. “A farmer spends ₹5,000 to harvest three quintals of cotton, which dries down to two quintals. The effective return is just ₹3,000,” Rambabu explained. He urged the Cotton Corporation of India to increase the permissible moisture limit to 20–25%, so that affected farmers can still get a fair price.
Heavy rains devastate crops, farmers seek compensation. Cotton farmers in Chandrugonda mandal of Bhadradri- Kothagudem district are facing severe financial losses due to spells of incessant rainfall over the past two months. The continual downpour has caused significant crop damage at a time when the cotton was ready for harvest.
In villages like Pokalagudem, Ravikampadu, Tungaram, Repallevada, and Tippanapalli, farmers have cultivated cotton across nearly 6,000 acres. However, persistent rains have led to cotton bolls turning black without opening, falling prematurely to the ground, or developing mold after splitting open, rendering them unfit for sale.
Farmers Ramakrishna and Venkat Rao expressed deep distress, stating that the rains destroyed their harvest at the last moment. “We were just days away from collecting our yield. Now all we see is blackened cotton lying on the ground,” they said.
Due to the scale of damage, farmers fear major crop losses this year, both in yield and quality, which will directly impact their earnings. The excessive moisture has also raised concerns about receiving the MSP, as damaged cotton often doesn’t meet procurement standards.
Local farmers’ groups are urging the state government to immediately intervene and announce relief measures for affected cultivators. “The government must respond without delay and extend compensation to cotton farmers hit by excessive rainfall,” the farmers demanded.
