Telangana farmers fear crop damage as cyclonic storm Murasu approaches
Paddy and cotton farmers in Telangana face potential losses due to heavy rain forecasts and fluctuating market prices.
Paddy and cotton farmers in Telangana are facing anxiety over a rain forecast from Monday to Wednesday, November 2 to 4, caused by cyclonic storm Murasu, according to The Hindu.
The storm is expected to bring heavy to very heavy rainfall to Khammam, Mahabubnagar, Nalgonda, Suryapet, Nagarkurnool, and Wanaparthy districts.
Sankanthi Narasiah, a paddy farmer from Lalapuram village in Khammam, said his crops are in various stages from pre-flowering to panicle formation and that wind and rain at this stage will cause great loss.
Donthu Rambabu, joint secretary of Telangana Rythu Sangham, said that if crops get soaked, harvesting machines that usually take one hour per acre may take two hours, doubling costs.
Mr. Rambabu added that soaked grains must be dried, which can lead to a loss in weight, while M Sudhakar Reddy, vice-president of the Sangham, said discoloured grains fetch lower prices.
In a separate incident reported by Telangana Today, farmers protested at the Suryapet Agriculture Market on Thursday, demanding the minimum support price for paddy.
The protesters alleged that commission agents promised prices over Rs 3,000 per quintal but later slashed them to between Rs 2,000 and Rs 2,300 per quintal.