Telangana Farmers Demand Rs 40,000 per acre Compensation for Crop Damage

The Telangana Rythu Sangham has demanded a compensation of 20,000 per acre for food grains and 40,000 per acre for commercial crops, claiming that crops on 12 lakh acres were damaged by unprecedented rains and floods.

"Farmers have planted various crops on 64 lakh acres so far." Crops on 12 lakh acres have been severely damaged. "This includes 7 lakh acres of the cotton crop," the association's President, Potineni Sudarshan Rao, stated.

He stated that cotton farmers spent approximately Rs 8,000 per acre when sowing. "They must reinvest as much as possible to save the season." "We demand immediate assistance," he said.

Meanwhile, the State government has written to the Centre, requesting immediate financial assistance of Rs 1,000 crore to begin relief efforts.

The state administration has sent the preliminary estimates of flood losses in the natural tragedy to the Center, according to a statement from the Chief Minister's Office.

The government stated that the heavy rains and floods caused damages totalling 1,400 crores, with the Roads and Buildings Department losing 498 crores, the Panchayat Raj Department losing 450 crores, and the Municipal Administration losing 380 crores.

Continuous rains in the state's northern and eastern districts had shut off and flooded low-lying settlements, affecting the delivery of essentials like water and power and causing extensive flooding. Since their fields were flooded at the start of the season, farmers all around the state are concerned about their crops.

The farmers' association requested that the State government arrange for a Central team to assess the loss. "We appeal to the government to make seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides available to farmers as soon as possible and assist them in going for a second sowing," Telangana Rythu Sangham General Secretary T Saggar said.