Gadwal is experiencing rising tensions as thousands of seed cotton farmers in the Jogulamba Gadwal district face uncertainty about crop buying and financial support. Telangana Rythu Sangham, led by State Secretary Tigala Sagar, met with Additional Commissioner of Agriculture Vijay Kumar and Seed Monitoring Officer Narasimha Rao to urge quick action.
The Nadigadda region is famous for seed cotton farming, with about 25,000 farmers cultivating nearly 40,000 acres each year. Around 25 seed companies usually engage organizers to contract farmers for growing specific cotton seed varieties. These companies typically agree to buy the entire harvest and provide ₹1 lakh per acre to help with costs.
This year, the situation changed drastically. After the crop reached about 50 days, some organizers informed farmers that companies would only buy 2 quintals per acre. The remaining crops were to be destroyed, and no financial aid would be given. This breach of promise led to unrest among farmers.
Thousands protested at the District Collector’s Office in Gadwal. The District Collector and Superintendent of Police stepped in, obtaining a written promise from company organizers for full crop purchase and support. Yet, organizers are reneging on this agreement, asking farmers to clear the fields themselves and refusing responsibility, causing financial strain.
In today’s high-level meeting, Telangana Rythu Sangham, with Tigala Sagar and other leaders, insisted that the Agriculture Department force companies to honor their commitments: buy all seed cotton and provide the promised ₹1 lakh per acre. They warned of a statewide protest if demands aren’t met.
Key leaders at the meeting included Tigala Sagar, Shobhan Naik, Sankapuram Mallesh, A. Venkataswamy, V.V. Narasimha, and Sriram Naik. Other local leaders like Veeresh, Urukundu, Narayana, and Thimmappa were also present. The Rythu Sangham called for stricter government oversight of agricultural contracts to protect farmers from exploitation.
