Telangana farmers caught between a dry spell and despair
Farmers in Telangana are facing severe distress due to a delayed monsoon and the looming impact of El Niño, which has left fields parched and crops stunted. Data indicates a decline in groundwater levels across 18 districts, threatening the livelihoods of those dependent on rainfed agriculture.
Why it matters
The agricultural crisis in Telangana underscores the vulnerability of regional food security and rural economies to climate-driven weather patterns.
Standing in his eight-acre rainfed farm in Aroor village of Sangareddy district in mid-July, P. Narasimhulu gently pulls out a black gram sapling from the parched soil. The frail plant barely reaches his ankle. Raising his hand nearly three feet above it, he says, “By now, it should have been this tall.”
Last monsoon, excess rain had washed away nearly ₹3 lakh that the 40-year-old tenant farmer had invested in his cotton crop. This year, it is the absence of rain that threatens to leave him counting losses again.
“I have spent around ₹60,000 for ploughing and ₹40,000 to sow black gram and redgram ( kandi pappu ) in eight acres this Vanakalam (rainy) season. There are no rains so far. If we receive good rains in the coming days, I might recover some of the investment. Else, I will lose ₹1 lakh,” says Mr. Narasimhulu, who cultivates leased land.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in