Farmers in Telangana's Warangal district vexed over costly harvesters

WARANGAL: With thousands of acres of paddy crops ready to be harvested in erstwhile Warangal district, farmers are struggling to obtain harvesting machines due to a shortage in the region, and are forced to cough up double the usual prices for the few machines that are available. 

With increased demand for the machines, owners of the machines are taking advantage of the situation and have doubled the charges for hiring them.

According to agriculture department authorities, due to heavy rains between the months of August and October, floodwaters entered many agricultural fields, and is still present at some fields in Warangal Urban and Rural districts. 

Due to this, farm labourers will not harvest the crops, and the only option left for farmers is to use machines. Many owners are charging rents between Rs 2,600 and Rs 3,000 per hour for the harvester machines.

As per the data obtained by The New Indian Express on cultivation on crops from Warangal Urban and Rural districts' agriculture officials on Kharif season 2020, about 1,10,000 acres of Telangana Sona paddy is ready for harvesting. A total of 34,000 acres of paddy crops were destroyed by the rains in the districts.

N Ravi, a farmer from Velair village in Warangal Urban district, said that every year, during the Kharif season, operators of harvesting machines arrive from the other districts. "I have cultivated five acres of paddy, of which two acres were destroyed due to the rains. This Kharif season has not been profitable to farmers," he lamented.